Molecular characterization of a novel algal glutamine synthetase (GS) and an algal glutamate synthase (GOGAT) from the colorful outer mantle of the giant clam, Tridacna squamosa, and the putative GS-GOGAT cycle in its symbiotic zooxanthellae.

Giant clams harbor symbiotic zooxanthellae (Symbiodinium), which are nitrogen-deficient, mainly in the fleshy and colorful outer mantle. This study aimed to sequence and characterize the algal Glutamine Synthetase (GS) and Glutamate Synthase (GLT), which constitute the glutamate synthase cycle (or GS-GOGAT cycle, whereby GOGAT is the protein acronym of GLT) of nitrogen assimilation, from the outer mantle of the fluted giant clam, Tridacna squamosa. We had identified a novel GS-like cDNA coding sequence of 2325 bp, and named it as T. squamosa Symbiodinium GS1 (TSSGS1). The deduced TSSGS1 sequence had 774 amino acids with a molecular mass of 85 kDa, and displayed the characteristics of GS1 and Nucleotide Diphosphate Kinase. The cDNA coding sequence of the algal GLT, named as T. squamosa Symbiodinium GLT (TSSGLT), comprised 6399 bp, encoding a protein of 2133 amino acids and 232.4 kDa. The zooxanthellal origin of TSSGS1 and TSSGOGAT was confirmed by sequence comparison and phylogenetic analyses. Indeed, TSSGS1 and TSSGOGAT were expressed predominately in the outer mantle, which contained the majority of the zooxanthellae. Immunofluorescence microscopy confirmed the expression of TSSGS1 and TSSGOGAT in the cytoplasm and the plastids, respectively, of the zooxanthellae in the outer mantle. It can be concluded that the symbiotic zooxanthellae of T. squamosa possesses a glutamate synthase (TSSGS1-TSSGOGAT) cycle that can assimilate endogenous ammonia produced by the host clam into glutamate, which can act as a substrate for amino acid syntheses. Thus, our results provide insights into why intact giant clam-zooxanthellae associations do not excrete ammonia under normal circumstances.

Functional characterization of key enzymes involved in L-glutamate synthesis and degradation in the thermotolerant and methylotrophic bacterium Bacillus methanolicus.

Bacillus methanolicus wild-type strain MGA3 secretes 59 g/liter(-1) of l-glutamate in fed-batch methanol cultivations at 50°C. We recently sequenced the MGA3 genome, and we here characterize key enzymes involved in l-glutamate synthesis and degradation. One glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) that is encoded by yweB and two glutamate synthases (GOGATs) that are encoded by the gltAB operon and by gltA2 were found, in contrast to Bacillus subtilis, which has two different GDHs and only one GOGAT. B. methanolicus has a glutamine synthetase (GS) that is encoded by glnA and a 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase (OGDH) that is encoded by the odhAB operon. The yweB, gltA, gltB, and gltA2 gene products were purified and characterized biochemically in vitro. YweB has a low Km value for ammonium (10 mM) and a high Km value for l-glutamate (250 mM), and the Vmax value is 7-fold higher for l-glutamate synthesis than for the degradation reaction. GltA and GltA2 displayed similar Km values (1 to 1.4 mM) and Vmax values (4 U/mg) for both l-glutamate and 2-oxoglutarate as the substrates, and GltB had no effect on the catalytic activities of these enzymes in vitro. Complementation assays indicated that GltA and not GltA2 is dependent on GltB for GOGAT activity in vivo. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing the presence of two active GOGATs in a bacterium. In vivo experiments indicated that OGDH activity and, to some degree, GOGAT activity play important roles in regulating l-glutamate production in this organism.

A novel ferredoxin-dependent glutamate synthase from the hydrogen-oxidizing chemoautotrophic bacterium Hydrogenobacter thermophilus TK-6.

Glutamate synthases are classified according to their specificities for electron donors. Ferredoxin-dependent glutamate synthases had been found only in plants and cyanobacteria, whereas many bacteria have NADPH-dependent glutamate synthases. In this study, Hydrogenobacter thermophilus, a hydrogen-oxidizing chemoautotrophic bacterium, was shown to possess a ferredoxin-dependent glutamate synthase like those of phototrophs. This is the first observation, to our knowledge, of a ferredoxin-dependent glutamate synthase in a nonphotosynthetic organism. The purified enzyme from H. thermophilus was shown to be a monomer of a 168-kDa polypeptide homologous to ferredoxin-dependent glutamate synthases from phototrophs. In contrast to known ferredoxin-dependent glutamate synthases, the H. thermophilus glutamate synthase exhibited glutaminase activity. Furthermore, this glutamate synthase did not react with a plant-type ferredoxin (Fd3 from this bacterium) containing a [2Fe-2S] cluster but did react with bacterial ferredoxins (Fd1 and Fd2 from this bacterium) containing [4Fe-4S] clusters. Interestingly, the H. thermophilus glutamate synthase was activated by some of the organic acids in the reductive tricarboxylic acid cycle, the central carbon metabolic pathway of this organism. This type of activation has not been reported for any other glutamate synthases, and this property may enable the control of nitrogen assimilation by carbon metabolism.

Studies of propionate toxicity in Salmonella enterica identify 2-methylcitrate as a potent inhibitor of cell growth.

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium LT2 showed increased sensitivity to propionate when the 2-methylcitric acid cycle was blocked. A derivative of a prpC mutant (which lacked 2-methylcitrate synthase activity) resistant to propionate was isolated, and the mutation responsible for the newly acquired resistance to propionate was mapped to the citrate synthase (gltA) gene. These results suggested that citrate synthase activity was the source of the increased sensitivity to propionate observed in the absence of the 2-methylcitric acid cycle. DNA sequencing of the wild-type and mutant gltA alleles revealed that the ATG start codon of the wild-type gene was converted to the rare GTG start codon in the revertant strain. This result suggested that lower levels of this enzyme were present in the mutant. Consistent with this change, cell-free extracts of the propionate-resistant strain contained 12-fold less citrate synthase activity. This was interpreted to mean that, in the wild-type strain, high levels of citrate synthase activity were the source of a toxic metabolite. In vitro experiments performed with homogeneous citrate synthase enzyme indicated that this enzyme was capable of synthesizing 2-methylcitrate from propionyl-CoA and oxaloacetate. This result lent further support to the in vivo data, which suggested that citrate synthase was the source of a toxic metabolite.

Pathways for glutamate biosynthesis in the yeast Kluyveromyces lactis.

Purified glutamate synthase (GOGAT) from Kluyveromyces lactis was characterized as a high-molecular-mass polypeptide, a distinction shared with previously described GOGATs from other eukaryotic micro-organisms. Using degenerate deoxyoligonucleotides, designed from conserved regions of the alfalfa, maize and Escherichia coli GOGAT genes, a 300 bp PCR fragment from the K. lactis GOGAT gene KIGLT1 was obtained. This fragment was used to construct null GOGAT mutants of K. lactis by gene replacement. These mutants showed no growth defect phenotype and were able to grow on ammonium as sole nitrogen source. Double mutants obtained from a cross between a previously described KIGDH1 mutant and the K. lactis null GOGAT strain were full glutamate auxotrophs. These results indicate that glutamate biosynthesis in K. lactis is afforded through the combined action of KIGDH1 and KIGLT1 products.

Purification and characterization of NADH-dependent glutamate synthase from the silkworm fat body (Bombyx mori).

NADH-dependent glutamate synthase (Nadh-Gogat; EC 1.41.14) was purified 766-fold from the fat body of 5th instar larvae of the silkworm with a final specific activity of 13.8 units/mg protein by a produce including ammonium sulfate fraction, Q-Sepharose HP ion exchange column chromatography, Blue Sepharose FF affinity column chromatography and Superdex 200 HR gel filtration. The purified enzyme yielded a single band corresponding to a molecular mass of 195kDa by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Molecular mass of the native enzyme was estimated to be 190 kDa by Superdex 200HR gel filtration, suggesting that the enzyme is composed of a monomeric polypeptide. The enzyme showed an absorption spectrum with maximum values at 272, 375, and 435 nm, suggesting the presence of a flavin prosthetic group in the enzyme. The N-terminal amino acid sequence showed a high similarity to those of other GOGATs from plants, yeast and bacteria, but no similarity to other known proteins was detected. The enzyme exhibited a strong specificity to the electron donor and substrates; NADH as electron donor, 2-oxoglutarate as amino acceptor and glutamine as amino donor were essential for the catalytic activity. The optimum pH was around 7.5, at which Km values for 2-oxoglutarate, glutamine and NADH were 17, 220 and 5.7 micro M, respectively. Azaserine, 6-diazo-5-oxonorleucine and p-chloromercuribenzoic acid were strong inhibitors of the activity. These result show that NADH-GOGAT in the silkworm fat body strongly resembles other eukaryotic NADH-GOGATs, suggesting that it plays a significant role in ammonia assimilation in the same manner as the other enzymes.

The recombinant alpha subunit of glutamate synthase: spectroscopic and catalytic properties.

As part of our studies of Azospirillum brasilense glutamate synthase, a complex iron-sulfur flavoprotein, we have overproduced the two enzyme subunits separately in Escherichia coli. The beta subunit (53.2 kDa) was demonstrated to contain the site of NADPH oxidation of glutamate synthase and the FAD cofactor, which was identified as Flavin 1 of glutamate synthase, the flavin located at the site of NADPH oxidation. We now report the overproduction of the glutamate synthase alpha subunit (162 kDa), which is purified to homogeneity in a stable form. This subunit contains FMN as the flavin cofactor which exhibits the properties of Flavin 2 of glutamate synthase: reactivity with sulfite to yield a flavin-N(5)-sulfite addition product (Kd = 2.6 +/- 0.22 mM), lack of reactivity with NADPH, reduction by L-glutamate, and reoxidation by 2-oxoglutarate and glutamine. Thus, FMN is the flavin located at the site of reduction of the iminoglutarate formed on the addition of glutamine amide group to the C(2) carbon of 2-oxoglutarate. The glutamate synthase alpha subunit contains the [3Fe-4S] cluster of glutamate synthase, as shown by low-temperature EPR spectroscopy experiments. The glutamate synthase alpha subunit catalyzes the synthesis of glutamate from L-glutamine and 2-oxoglutarate, provided that a reducing system (dithionite and methyl viologen) is present. The FMN moiety but not the [3Fe-4S] cluster of the subunit appears to participate in this reaction. Furthermore, the isolated alpha subunit of glutamate synthase exhibits a glutaminase activity, which is absent in the glutamate synthase holoenzyme. These findings support a model for glutamate synthase according to which the enzymes prepared from various sources share a common glutamate synthase function (the alpha subunit of the bacterial enzyme, or its homologous polypeptide forming the ferredoxin-dependent plant enzyme) but differ for the chosen electron donor. The pyridine nucleotide-dependent forms of the enzyme have recruited a FAD-dependent oxidoreductase (the bacterial beta subunit) to mediate electron transfer from the NAD(P)H substrate to the glutamate synthase polypeptide. However, it appears that the presence of the enzyme beta subunit and/or of the additional iron-sulfur clusters (Centers II and III) of the bacterial glutamate synthase is required for communication between Center I (the [3Fe-4S] center) and the FMN moiety within the alpha subunit, and for ensuring coupling of glutamine hydrolysis to the transfer of the released ammonia molecule to 2-oxoglutarate in the holoenzyme.

Gene cloning, sequencing and enzymatic properties of glutamate synthase from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus sp. KOD1.

The gltA gene encoding a glutamate synthase (GOGAT) from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus sp. KOD1 was cloned as a 6.6 kb HindIII-BamHI fragment. Sequence analysis indicates that gltA encodes a 481- amino acid protein (53,269 Da). The deduced amino acid sequence of KOD1-GltA includes conserved regions that are found in the small subunits of bacterial GOGAT: two cysteine clusters, an adenylate-binding consensus sequence and an FAD-binding consensus sequence. However, no sequences homologous to the large subunit of bacterial GOGAT were found in the upstream or downstream regions. In order to examine whether GltA alone can act as a functional GOGAT, GltA was overexpressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) cells using an expression plasmid. GltA was purified to homogeneity and shown to be functional as a homotetramer of approximately 205 kDa, which is equivalent to the molecular weight of the native GOGAT from KOD1, thus indicating that KOD1-GOGAT is the smallest known active GOGAT. GltA is capable of both glutamine-dependent and ammonia-dependent synthesis of glutamate. Synthesis of glutamate by KOD1-GltA required NADPH, indicating that this enzyme is an NADPH-GOGAT (EC 1.4.1.13). The optimum pH for both activities was 6.5. However, GltA exhibited different optimum temperatures for activity depending on the reaction assayed (glutamine-dependent reaction, 80 degrees C; ammonia-dependent reaction, 90 degrees C).

Properties of the recombinant beta subunit of glutamate synthase.

Glutamate synthase is a complex iron-sulfur flavoprotein containing one molecule each of FAD and FMN and three distinct iron-sulfur centers/alpha beta protomer. Production of the beta subunit was observed in total extracts of Escherichia coli BL21 (DE) cells harbouring a pT7-7 derivative carrying gltD, the gene encoding the Azospirillum brasilense glutamate synthase beta subunit. The protein was soluble, and the identity of the purified protein with the Azospirillum glutamate synthase beta subunit was confirmed by N-terminal sequence analysis. The kinetic and spectroscopic characterization of the glutamate synthase beta subunit confirmed that it contains the NADPH binding site, but, in contrast with earlier proposals that assigned both FAD and FMN binding sites to the alpha subunit of glutamate synthase, the beta subunit was shown to contain stoichiometric amounts of FAD. No iron-sulfur centers were detected by EPR spectroscopy measurements of the recombinant beta subunit. Under steady-state conditions, the glutamate synthase beta subunit can catalyze the NADPH-dependent reduction of several synthetic electron acceptors but no glutamate synthase or glutamate dehydrogenase reactions in either direction. The results are in agreement with previous data from our laboratory and, together with the absence of amino acid sequence similarity between glutamate synthase beta subunit and glutamate dehydrogenases, are against the hypothesis that glutamate synthase is evolutionarily derived from the association of an ancestral glutamate dehydrogenase (the beta subunit) and an amidotransferase (the alpha subunit). The protein-bound FAD is reduced by NADPH at a rate much faster than turnover with synthetic electron acceptors, leading to formation of a stable reduced flavin-NADP+ charge-transfer complex. The rate of reduction of the bound FAD by NADPH is also similar to the rate at which one of the flavins is reduced in the native glutamate synthase, as measured in a stopped-flow spectrophotometer under pre-steady-state conditions. The ability of FAD bound to the beta subunit of glutamate synthase to react with NADPH and the lack of reactivity with sulfite lead us to conclude that FAD is Flavin 1 of glutamate synthase [Vanoni, M.A., Edmondson, D.E., Zanetti, G. & Curti, B. (1992) Biochemistry 31, 4613-4623].

Saccharomyces cerevisiae has a single glutamate synthase gene coding for a plant-like high-molecular-weight polypeptide.

Purification of the glutamate synthase (GOGAT) enzyme from Saccharomyces cerevisiae showed that it is an oligomeric enzyme composed of three identical 199-kDa subunits. The GOGAT structural gene was isolated by screening a yeast genomic library with a yeast PCR probe. This probe was obtained by amplification with degenerate oligonucleotides designed from conserved regions of known GOGAT genes. The derived amino-terminal sequence of the GOGAT gene was confirmed by direct amino-terminal sequence analysis of the purified protein of 199 kDa. Northern (RNA) analysis allowed the identification of an mRNA of about 7 or 8 kb. An internal fragment of the GOGAT gene was used to obtain null GOGAT mutants completely devoid of GOGAT activity. The results show that S. cerevisiae has a single NADH-GOGAT enzyme, consisting of three 199-kDa monomers, that differs from the one found in prokaryotic microorganisms but is similar to those found in other eukaryotic organisms such as alfalfa.

Metabolic thermotolerance: magnetic resonance detected protection of glutamate synthase.

Metabolism in maize meristem cultures exposed to different heat treatments has been analyzed by 13C-NMR spectroscopy of tissue extracts. The effects of a 40 degrees C permissive stress were compared with a 45 degrees C lethal stress, and the metabolism of glutamate and glutamine were markedly altered by both temperatures. Changes in the incorporation of labeled precursors, alterations due to the in vivo application of enzyme inhibitors, and differences in the activity of enzymes in cell free extracts have confirmed that glutamate synthase (GluS) is partially inactivated by the lethal thermal exposure. This enzyme is quantitatively protected by the induction of thermotolerance. The time dependence for the protection correlates with the appearance of a set of late-arising heat shock proteins (hsps). The function of these late-arising proteins is not yet known, but only one of them, a 67-kDa protein, is spatially correlated with GluS protection. Therefore, the quantitative protection of a key metabolic enzyme has been correlated with the in vivo function of a specific hsp.

Purification and partial characterization of glutamate synthase from Rhodospirillum rubrum grown under nitrogen-fixing conditions.

Glutamate synthase, a key enzyme in ammonia assimilation, has been purified from the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodospirillum rubrum. The purification procedure involves ion-exchange chromatography, affinity chromatography and gel filtration. The recovery in the procedure is high (62%) and the specific activity is 21 mumol of NADPH oxidized/min per mg. The enzyme is specific for its substrates, and no activity was demonstrated with NADH or NH4+ ions substituting for NADPH and glutamine respectively. The enzyme is composed of two dissimilar subunits with molecular masses of 53 and 152 kDa, and it is shown that Cl- ions have an effect on the aggregation of the enzyme. Km values for the substrates are: NADPH, 16 microM; 2-oxoglutarate, 10 microM; and glutamine, 65 microM. The enzyme is inhibited by amidotransferase inhibitors at micromolar concentrations. The role of the enzyme in the metabolic regulation of nitrogenase is discussed.

Stabilization, purification, and characterization of glutamate synthase from Clostridium pasteurianum.

Clostridium pasteurianum possesses a high level of glutamate synthase (EC 1.4.1.14) activity and cell yield when grown on 4 mM ammonium chloride and molasses as the sole nitrogen and carbon sources, respectively. The enzyme activity is stabilized by addition of alpha-ketoglutarate, EDTA, and 2-mercaptoethanol. Ammonium sulfate precipitation and single-step combined gel and ion-exchange chromatography followed by fractional dialysis yield a homogeneous protein with 40% recovery of the glutamate synthase activity. The native enzyme (Mr congruent to 590,000) gives five different subunits (as dimers) upon SDS gel electrophoresis. The enzyme has been characterized for pH and temperature optimum, substrate specificity, Kmapp values, energy of activation, half-life, and thermal stabilization. Metal ions and citric acid cycle metabolites do not affect the enzyme activity. Glutamate synthase shows fluorescence maximum at 370 nm when excited at 280 nm. The fluorescence is quenched upon the addition of NADH. Spectroscopic examination of the enzyme gave absorption maximum at 280 and none at 380 and 440 nm, indicating the absence of iron and flavin. The absence of iron and flavin was also confirmed by atomic absorption, chemical analysis, and fluoroscopy, respectively. The C. pasteurianum enzyme differs from that of other aerobic bacterial sources.

Glutamate synthase in Medicago sativa L. Occurrence and properties of FD-dependent enzyme in plant cell fraction during root nodule development.

In the plant cell fraction of Medicago sativa (L. cv Europe) nodules, glutamate synthase is active with reduced Fd, MV, NADH and NADPH as an electron donor. Up to 25 to 30 days after inoculation, the activities of Fd-dependent glutamate synthase (EC 1.4.1.7), the most active form of the enzyme, NADH-dependent (EC 1.4.1.14) and NADPH-dependent (EC 1.4.1.13) glutamate synthases increase about 2-fold followed by a relatively constant level per gram fresh weight of nodules. The activities of glutamate synthases with different electron carriers increase constantly about 30-fold after 46 days of inoculation by total fresh weight of nodules per plant. These nodule glutamate synthase activities with Fd, NADH or NADPH represent 30% relative to those of root glutamate synthases per plant with the respective electron donor. Fd-glutamate synthase in nodule plant fraction is a protein molecule immunochemically distinct from pyridine nucleotide-glutamate synthases. MV-linked enzyme activity is associated with Fd-glutamate synthase. The Fd-glutamate synthase has a subunit molecular mass of 68.2 kDa, and it exhibits a high affinity for spinach Fd as an electron carrier. The increase in Fd-glutamate synthase activity during nodule development is accompanied by a rise in the enzyme protein content. The total activity of different forms of glutamate synthase in vitro ensures a higher level than the rate of ammonia production during N2 fixation in bacteroids of Medicago sativa nodules.

Purification and properties of glutamate synthase from Nocardia mediterranei.

Glutamate synthase was purified about 250-fold from Nocardia mediterranei U32 and characterized. The native enzyme has a molecular weight of 195,000 +/- 5,000 and is composed of two nonidentical subunits with molecular weights of 145,000 +/- 5,000 and 55,000 +/- 3,000. This enzyme is a complex of iron-sulfur flavoproteins with absorption maxima at 278, 375, 410, and 440 nm. It contains 1.1 mol of flavin adenine dinucleotide, 1.0 mol of flavin mononucleotide, 7.5 mol of nonheme iron, and 7.2 mol of acid-labile sulfur per 200,000 g of protein. Km values for L-glutamine, alpha-ketoglutarate, and NADPH were 77, 53, and 110 microM, respectively. The activity of this glutamate synthase is inhibited by its products (i.e., glutamate and NADP), several amino acids, and tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates.

Glutamate synthase from Bacillus subtilis PCI 219.

Reduced pyridine nucleotide dependent glutamate synthase [L-glutamate: NADP+ oxidoreductase (transaminating); EC 1.4.1.13] was purified to homogeneity from Bacillus subtilis PCI 219. The molecular weight of the enzyme was 210,000, and the enzyme was composed of two nonidentical subunits with molecular weights of 160,000 and 56,000. The absorption and CD spectra of the enzyme indicated that the enzyme is an iron-sulfur flavoprotein. The enzyme was found to contain 1:1:7.4:8.7 mol of FMN, FAD, iron atoms, and acid-labile sulfur atoms per mol (MW 210,000). EPR measurements of the NADPH-reduced enzyme at 77K revealed the formation of a stable flavin semiquinone intermediate; however, none of the signals originating from the iron-sulfur cluster was observed. Still at 4.2K the EPR signals in the region of g = 2, which may originate from the paramagnetic iron-sulfur cluster, were clearly observed for both the isolated and dithionite-reduced states of the enzyme. The enzyme exhibited a wide coenzyme specificity, and either NADPH or NADH could be used as electron donor, although the latter was less effective. The enzyme activity was also expressed when ammonium chloride was substituted for L-glutamine. The optimum pHs for NADPH-Gln-, NADH-Gln-, and NADPH-NH3-dependent reactions were 7.8, 6.9, and 9.4, respectively. The apoenzyme exhibited substantial inactivation of the Gln-dependent activities but still retained the NH3-dependent activities. Enzyme reduction-oxidation experiments, initial velocity experiments, and product inhibition patterns revealed that both the NADPH-Gln- and NADH-Gln-dependent reactions coincided with the two-site ping-pong uni-uni bi-bi kinetic mechanism, while the NADPH-NH3-dependent reaction deviated from Michaelis-Menten kinetics. The Gln-dependent activities were inhibited by several TCA cycle members, especially L-malate and fumarate, as well as L-methionine-SR-sulfoximine, pyridoxal-5'-phosphate, and pCMB. The regulation of the glutamate synthase, glutamine synthetase [EC 6.3.1.2], and glutamate dehydrogenase [EC 1.4.1.3] activities was examined with cultures of cells grown with various nitrogen and carbon sources.

Purification and characterization of glutamate synthase from Azospirillum brasilense.

Growth conditions for Azospirillum brasilense Sp6 were devised for maximal expression of glutamate synthase. The enzyme levels were largely affected by the type and concentration of the nitrogen source. A 10-fold increase in the synthesis of the enzyme was observed at a limiting concentration of ammonia. The enzyme was purified to homogeneity by a procedure which was fairly rapid and allowed a good recovery of enzyme (30%). Azospirillum glutamate synthase is a complex iron-sulfur flavoprotein with a stoichiometry of 1 flavin adenine dinucleotide:1 flavin mononucleotide:8 Fe:8 S per protomer with a molecular weight of 185,000. The protomer is composed of two dissimilar subunits with molecular weights of 135,000 and 50,000. Kinetic parameters were determined. Km values for NADPH, 2-oxoglutarate, and L-glutamine were 6.25, 29, and 450 microM, respectively. The optimum pH was about 7.5. Complete reduction of the enzyme under anaerobic conditions was obtained either by NADPH (in the presence of a regenerating system) or dithionite or by photochemical reduction (in the presence of EDTA and 5-deazariboflavin). No stable long-wavelength intermediates were observed.

Purification and properties of glutamate synthase from Bacillus licheniformis.

Glutamate synthase [L-glutamate:NADP+ oxidoreductase (transaminating); EC 1.4.1.13](GltS) was purified to homogeneity from Bacillus licheniformis A5. The native enzyme had a molecular weight of approximately 220,000 and was composed of two nonidentical subunits (molecular weights, approximately 158,000 and approximately 54,000). The enzyme was found to contain 8.1 +/- 1 iron atoms and 8.1 +/- 1 acid-labile sulfur atoms per 220,000-dalton dimer. Two flavin moieties were found per 220,000-dalton dimer, with a ratio of flavin adenine dinucleotide to flavin mononucleotide of 1.2. The UV-visible spectrum of the enzyme exhibited maxima at 263,380 and 450 nm. The GltS from B. licheniformis had a requirement for NADPH, alpha-ketoglutarate, and glutamine. Classical hyperbolic kinetics were seen for NADPH affinity, which resulted in an apparent Km value of 13 microM. Nonhyperbolic kinetics were obtained for alpha-ketoglutarate and glutamine affinities, and the reciprocal plots obtained for these substrates were biphasic. The apparent Km values obtained for glutamine were 8 and 100 microM, and the apparent Km values obtained for alpha-ketoglutarate were 6 and 50 microM. GltS activity was found to be relatively insensitive to inhibition by amino acids, keto acids, or various nucleotides. L-Methionine-DL-sulfoximine, L-methionine sulfone, and DL-methionine sulfoxide were found to be potent inhibitors of GltS activity, yielding I0.5 values of 150, 11, and 250 microM, respectively. GltSs were purified from cells grown in the presence of ammonia and nitrate as sole nitrogen sources and were compared. Both yielded identical final specific activities and identical physical (UV-visible spectra, flavin, and iron-sulfur composition) and kinetic characteristics.