L-Tryptophan dehydrogenase is a new NAD(+)-dependent amino acid dehydrogenase discovered in Nostoc punctiforme. The enzyme is involved in scytonemin biosynthesis and is highly selective toward L-tryptophan. By a growth-dependent molecular evolution technique, a thermostable mutant enzyme was selected successfully. L-Tryptophan concentration in human plasma was successfully determined using the thermostable mutant of L-tryptophan dehydrogenase.