Abstract
Glutamine synthetase (EC 6.3.1.2) has been purified from Rhizobium japonicum strains CC705 and CC723 respectively. The purified enzyme, which had a molecular weight of 720,000 (both strains) contained 12 subunits each of 60,000. The enzyme assayed by the γ-glutamyltransferase method had K m values for l-glutamine and hydroxylamine of 7.7 and 1.2 mM respectively. The inhibition of γ-glutamyltransferase by l-glutamate and ammonia was competitive for l-glutamine and non-competitive for hydroxylamine. The transferase activity was markedly (>65%) inhibited by l-methionine-d-sulfoximine and alanine and to a lesser extent (<45%) by glycine, arginine, aspartate, asparagine, lysine and serine. Different pairs of amino acids in various combinations resulted in a cumulative inhibition of enzyme activity. The enzyme was also inhibited by the following di- and tri-phosphate nucleotides — IDP, CDP, UDP, ATP, ITP, CTP and UTP. Malate, pyruvate, oxalate, succinate and α-ketoglutarate each at 10 mM depressed enzyme activity.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Andrews P (1970) Estimation of molecular size and molecular weights of biological compounds by gel filtration. Meth Biochem Anal 18:1–53
Bender RA, Janseen KA, Resnick AD, Blumenberg M, Foor F, Magasanik B (1977) Biochemical parameters of glutamine synthetase from Klebsiella aerogenes. J Bacteriol 129:1001–1009
Bhandari B, Nicholas DJD (1981) Some properties of glutamine synthetase from the nitrifying bacterium Nitrosomonas europaea. Aust J Biol Sci 34:527–539
Brown CM, Dilworth MJ (1975) Ammonium assimilation by Rhizobium cultures and bacteroids. J Gen Microbiol 86:39–48
Dalton H (1980) The cultivation of diazotrophic microorganisms. In: Bergersen FJ (ed) Methods for evaluating biological nitrogen fixation. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, pp 13–64
Darrow RA, Knotts RR (1977) Two forms of glutamine synthetase in free-living root-nodule bacteria. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 78:554–559
Darrow RA (1980) Role of glutamine synthetase in nitrogen fixation. In: Mora J, Palacios R (eds) Glutamine metabolism enzymology and regulation. Academic Press, New York London, pp 139–166
Deuel TF, Stadtman ER (1970) Some kinetic properties of Bacillus subtilis glutamine synthetase. J Biol Chem 245:5206–5213
Ely B, Amarasinghe ABC, Bender RA (1978) Ammonia assimilation and glutamate formation in Caulobacter crescentus. J Bacteriol 133:225–230
Gass JD, Meister A (1970) Computer analysis of active site of glutamine synthetase. Biochemistry 9:1380–1389
Hachimori A, Matsunaga A, Shimizu M, Samejima T, Nosoh Y (1974) Purification and properties of glutamine synthetase from Bacillus stearothermophilus. Biochim Biophys Acta 350:461–474
Hubbard JS, Stadtman ER (1967) Regulation of glutamine synthetase. VI. Interactions of inhibitors for Bacillus licheniformis glutamine synthetase. J Bacteriol 94:1016–1024
Khanna S, Nicholas DJD (1983) Some properties of glutamine synthetase and glutamate synthase from Chlorobium vibrioforme f. thiosulfatophilum. Arch Microbiol 134:98–103
Laemmli UK (1970) Cleavage of structural proteins during the assembly of the head of bacteriophage T4. Nature (London) 227:680–685
Ludwig RA (1980) Physiological roles of glutamine synthetases I and II in ammonium assimilation in Rhizobium sp. 32H1. J Bacteriol 141:1209–1216.
McParland RH, Guevara JG, Becker RR, Evans HJ (1976) The purification and properties of the glutamine synthetase from the cytosol of soya-bean root nodules. Biochem J 153:597–606
Meister A (1974) Glutamine synthetase of mammals. In: Boyer PD (ed) The enzymes, 3rd edn, vol 10. Academic Press, New York London, pp 699–754
Miflin BJ, Lea PJ (1977) Amino acid metabolism. Ann Rev Pl Physiol 28:299–329
Murray DR, Ashcroft WJ, Seppelt RD, Lennox FG (1978) Comparative biochemical and morphological studies of Acacia sophorae (Labill.) R. Br. and A. longifolia (Andrews) Willd. Aust. J. Bot. 26:755–771
Nagatani H, Shimizu M, Valentine RC (1971) The mechanism of ammonia assimilation in nitrogen fixing bacteria. Arch Mikrobiol 79:164–174
O'Gara F, Shanmugam KT (1976a) Regulation of nitrogen fixation by Rhizobia. Export of fixed N2 and NH +4 . Biochim Biophys Acta 437:313–321
O'Gara F, Shanmugam KT (1976b) Control of symbiotic nitrogen fixation in Rhizobia. Regulation of NH +4 assimilation. Biochim Biophys Acta 451:342–352
Rowell P, Enticott S, Stewart WDP (1977) Glutamine synthetase and nitrogenase activity in the blue-green alga Anabaena cylindrica. New Phytol 79:41–54
Sawhney SK, Nicholas DJD (1978a) Some properties of glutamine synthetase from Anabaena cylindrica. Planta 139:289–299
Sawhney SK, Nicholas DJD (1978b) Effects of amino acids, adenine nucleotides and inorganic pyrophosphate on glutamine synthetase from Anabaena cylindrica. Biochim Biophys Acta 427:485–496
Shapiro BM, Stadtman ER (1970) Glutamine synthetase (Escherichia coli) In: Colowick SP, Kaplan NO (eds) Methods in enzymology, vol XVII A. Academic Press, New York London, pp 901–922
Shapiro BM, Kingdon HS, Stadtman ER (1967) Regulation of glutamine synthetase. VII. Adenyl glutamine synthetase: A new form of the enzyme with altered regulatory and kinetic properties. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 58:642–649
Siedel J, Shelton E (1979) Purification and properties of Azotobacter vinelandii glutamine synthetase. Arch Biochem Biophys 192:214–224
Stadtman ER, Ginsburg A (1974) Glutamine synthetase of Escherichia coli: structure and control. In: Boyer PD (ed) The enzymes, 3rd edn, vol 10. Academic Press, New York London, pp 755–807
Tate SS, Meister A (1971) Regulation of rat liver glutamine synthetase: activation by α-ketoglutarate and inhibition by glycine, alanine and carbamyl phosphate. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 68:781–785
Tate SS, Meister A (1973) Glutamine synthetase of mammalian liver and brain. In: Prusiner S, Stadtman ER (eds) The enzymes of glutamine metabolism. Academic Press, New York London, pp 77–127
Thomas JC, Wolk P, Shaffer PW (1975) The initial organic products of fixation of 13N-labelled nitrogen gas by the blue-green alga Anabaena cylindrica. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 67:501–507
Tronick SR, Ciardi JE, Stadtman ER (1973) Comparative biochemical and immunological studies of bacterial glutamine synthetase. J Bacteriol 115:858–868
Tuli R, Thomas J (1980) Regulation of glutamine synthetase in the blue-green alga Anabaena L-31. Biochim Biophys Acta 613:526–533
Tyler B (1978) Regulation of the assimilation of nitrogen compounds. Ann Rev Biochem 47:1127–1152
Vairinhos F, Bhandari B, Nicholas DJD (1983) Glutamine synthetase, glutamate synthase and glutamate dehydrogenase in Rhizobium japonicum strains grown in cultures and in bacteroids from root nodules of Glycine max. Planta (in press)
Weber K, Pringle JR, Osborn M (1972) Measurement of molecular weights by electrophoresis on SDS acrylamide gel. In: Colowick SP, Kaplan NO (eds) Methods in enzymology, vol XXVI. Academic Press, New York London, pp 3–27
Wedler FC, Carfi J, Shour AE (1976) Glutamine synthetase of Bacillus stearothermophilus. Regulation, site interactions and functional information. Biochemistry 15:1749–1755
Woolfolk CA, Stadtman ER (1967) Regulation of glutamine synthetase. III. Cumulative feedback inhibition of glutamine synthetase from Escherichia coli. Arch Biochem Biophys 118:736–755
Woolfolk CA, Shapiro BM, Stadtman ER (1966) Regulation of glutamine synthetase. I. Purification and properties of glutamine synthetase from Escherichia coli. Arch Biochem Biophys 116:177–192
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bhandari, B., Vairinhos, F. & Nicholas, D.J.D. Some properties of glutamine synthetase from Rhizobium japonicum strains CC705 and CC723. Arch. Microbiol. 136, 84–88 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00404778
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00404778