title: Isolation and characterization of a Neurospora crassa mutant altered in the alpha polypeptide of glutamine synthetase.
abstract: We report the isolation and characterization of a Neurospora crassa glutamine synthetase (GS) mutant altered in one of the two polypeptides (GS alpha) of this enzyme. We used the gln-1bR8 mutant strain that synthesizes only the GS alpha monomer and lacks the GS beta monomer and selected for growth in minimal medium in the presence of alpha-methyl-DL-methionine-SR-sulfoximine (alpha-me-MSO), an inhibitor of GS activity. The GS activity of the gln-1bR8;alpha-me-MSOR strain drastically reduced its transferase activity and only slightly reduced its synthetase activity, and it was resistant to inhibition by alpha-me-MSO and L-methionine-DL-sulfoximine. The mutation that overcame the inhibitory effect of alpha-me-MSO also altered the antigenic, kinetic, and physical properties of GS alpha. The low GS activity of the alpha-me-MSO-resistant strain was compensated for by a higher glutamate/glutamine ratio and a lower glutamate synthase activity, allowing this strain to grow as well as the parental strain. The mutation that conferred resistance to alpha-me-MSO was not linked to the gln-1bR8 mutation, providing direct evidence of the existence of two genes involved with the structure of the two polypeptides of N. crassa GS.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ecología Molecular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelos.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Calderón
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Martínez
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mora
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D004795:Enzyme Stability; D005974:Glutamate-Ammonia Ligase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D007700:Kinetics; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D009154:Mutation; D009491:Neurospora / Q000235:genetics*; D009492:Neurospora crassa / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D005974:Glutamate-Ammonia Ligase