Summary
High levels of glutamine synthetase, detected using both a biosynthetic assay (P i release from ATP) and a γ-glutamyl transferase assay, are present in aerobically grown N2-fixing cultures of Anabaena cylindrica. The enzyme is soluble, has a pH optimum of 6.5–7.5, with a peak at 7.1–7.2 (biosynthetic activity) or 6.9 (transferase activity), and a temperature optimum at 30°C–40°C. Partially purified preparations are stable in air at 5°C for at least 3 days. Mg2+, Mn2+, Co2+ and Ca2+ support high rates of biosynthetic activity, Zn2+ is less effective and Cu2+ and Ba2+ are ineffective.
Enzyme activity is regulated at several levels: possibly by repression and derepression of the enzyme in response to NH4 + level; by variation in the Mn2+: ATP ratio with optimum activity at a 1:1 ratio; by feed-back inhibition which may be of a cumulative type. The consensus of the evidence suggests the absence of a covalent enzyme modification of the type found in E. coli.
Glutamine synthetase levels are almost twice as high on a protein basis in the heterocysts as in the vegetative cells. Apparent K m values for whole filaments for NH4 + and glutamate in the biosynthetic reactions are 1 mM and 2 mM respectively.
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Dharmawardene, M.W.N., Haystead, A. & Stewart, W.D.P. Glutamine synthetase of the nitrogen-fixing alga Anabaena cylindrica . Archiv. Mikrobiol. 90, 281–295 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00408924
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00408924