Skip to main content
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1987 Oct;169(10):4692–4695. doi: 10.1128/jb.169.10.4692-4695.1987

Role of glutamate dehydrogenase in ammonia assimilation in nitrogen-fixing Bacillus macerans.

K Kanamori 1, R L Weiss 1, J D Roberts 1
PMCID: PMC213841  PMID: 2888750

Abstract

Pathways of ammonia assimilation into glutamic acid in Bacillus macerans were investigated by measurements of the specific activities of glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), glutamine synthetase, and glutamate synthase. In ammonia-rich medium, GDH was the predominant pathway of ammonia assimilation. In nitrogen-fixing cells in which the intracellular NH4+ concentration was 1.4 +/- 0.5 mM, the activity of GDH with a Km of 2.2 mM for NH4+ was found to be severalfold higher than that of glutamate synthase. The result suggests that GDH plays a significant role in the assimilation of NH4+ in N2-fixing B. macerans.

Full text

PDF
4692

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Andersen K., Shanmugam K. T. Energetics of biological nitrogen fixation: determination of the ratio of formation of H2 to NH4+ catalysed by nitrogenase of Klebsiella pneumoniae in vivo. J Gen Microbiol. 1977 Nov;103(1):107–122. doi: 10.1099/00221287-103-1-107. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bernlohr R. W., Schreier H. J., Donohue T. J. Enzymes of glutamate and glutamine biosynthesis in Bacillus licheniformis. Curr Top Cell Regul. 1984;24:145–152. doi: 10.1016/b978-0-12-152824-9.50020-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bohannon D. E., Rosenkrantz M. S., Sonenshein A. L. Regulation of Bacillus subtilis glutamate synthase genes by the nitrogen source. J Bacteriol. 1985 Sep;163(3):957–964. doi: 10.1128/jb.163.3.957-964.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Drozd J. W., Tubb R. S., Postgate J. R. A chemostat study of the effect of fixed nitrogen sources on nitrogen fixation, membranes and free amino acids in Azotobacter chroococcum. J Gen Microbiol. 1972 Nov;73(2):221–232. doi: 10.1099/00221287-73-2-221. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Fisher S. H., Rosenkrantz M. S., Sonenshein A. L. Glutamine synthetase gene of Bacillus subtilis. Gene. 1984 Dec;32(3):427–438. doi: 10.1016/0378-1119(84)90018-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Harder W., Dijkhuizen L. Physiological responses to nutrient limitation. Annu Rev Microbiol. 1983;37:1–23. doi: 10.1146/annurev.mi.37.100183.000245. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Hemmilä I. A., Mäntsälä P. I. Purification and properties of glutamate synthase and glutamate dehydrogenase from Bacillus megaterium. Biochem J. 1978 Jul 1;173(1):45–52. doi: 10.1042/bj1730045. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Kanamori K., Weiss R. L., Roberts J. D. Ammonia assimilation in Bacillus polymyxa. 15N NMR and enzymatic studies. J Biol Chem. 1987 Aug 15;262(23):11038–11045. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Kleiner D. Ammonium uptake and metabolism by mitrogen fixing bacteria. II. Klebsiella pneumoniae. Arch Microbiol. 1976 Dec 1;111(1-2):85–91. doi: 10.1007/BF00446553. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Kleiner D. Ammonium uptake by nitrogen fixing bacteria I. Azotobacter vinelandii. Arch Microbiol. 1975 Jun 22;104(2):163–169. doi: 10.1007/BF00447319. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. LOWRY O. H., ROSEBROUGH N. J., FARR A. L., RANDALL R. J. Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. J Biol Chem. 1951 Nov;193(1):265–275. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Magasanik B. Genetic control of nitrogen assimilation in bacteria. Annu Rev Genet. 1982;16:135–168. doi: 10.1146/annurev.ge.16.120182.001031. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Meers J. L., Tempest D. W., Brown C. M. 'Glutamine(amide):2-oxoglutarate amino transferase oxido-reductase (NADP); an enzyme involved in the synthesis of glutamate by some bacteria. J Gen Microbiol. 1970 Dec;64(2):187–194. doi: 10.1099/00221287-64-2-187. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Mortenson L. E. Regulation of nitrogen fixation. Curr Top Cell Regul. 1978;13:179–232. doi: 10.1016/b978-0-12-152813-3.50010-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Nagatani H., Shimizu M., Valentine R. C. The mechanism of ammonia assimilation in nitrogen fixing Bacteria. Arch Mikrobiol. 1971;79(2):164–175. doi: 10.1007/BF00424923. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Pan F. L., Coote J. G. Glutamine synthetase and glutamate synthase activities during growth and sporulation in Bacillus subtilis. J Gen Microbiol. 1979 Jun;112(2):373–377. doi: 10.1099/00221287-112-2-373. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Phibbs P. V., Jr, Bernlohr R. W. Purification, properties, and regulation of glutamic dehydrogenase of Bacillus licheniformis. J Bacteriol. 1971 May;106(2):375–385. doi: 10.1128/jb.106.2.375-385.1971. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Prusiner S., Milner L. A rapid radioactive assay for glutamine synthetase, glutaminase, asparagine synthetase, and asparaginase. Anal Biochem. 1970 Oct;37(2):429–438. doi: 10.1016/0003-2697(70)90069-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Senior P. J. Regulation of nitrogen metabolism in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella aerogenes: studies with the continuous-culture technique. J Bacteriol. 1975 Aug;123(2):407–418. doi: 10.1128/jb.123.2.407-418.1975. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Tyler B. Regulation of the assimilation of nitrogen compounds. Annu Rev Biochem. 1978;47:1127–1162. doi: 10.1146/annurev.bi.47.070178.005403. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Witz D. F., Detroy R. W., Wilson P. W. Nitrogen fixation by growing cells and cell-free extracts of the Bacillaceae. Arch Mikrobiol. 1967 Jan 19;55(4):369–381. doi: 10.1007/BF00406443. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Bacteriology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES