Molecular dissection of the glutamine synthetase-GlnR nitrogen regulatory circuitry in Gram-positive bacteria.

How bacteria sense and respond to nitrogen levels are central questions in microbial physiology. In Gram-positive bacteria, nitrogen homeostasis is controlled by an operon encoding glutamine synthetase (GS), a dodecameric machine that assimilates ammonium into glutamine, and the GlnR repressor. GlnR detects nitrogen excess indirectly by binding glutamine-feedback-inhibited-GS (FBI-GS), which activates its transcription-repression function.

Structural and Functional Characterization of YdjI, an Aldolase of Unknown Specificity in K12.

The gene cluster is found in 80% of sequenced genomes and other closely related species in the human microbiome. On the basis of the annotations of the enzymes located in this cluster, it is expected that together they catalyze the catabolism of an unknown carbohydrate. The focus of this investigation is on YdjI, which is in the gene cluster of K-12.

Structural Studies on a Glucosamine/Glucosaminide N-Acetyltransferase.

Glucosamine/glucosaminide N-acetyltransferase or GlmA catalyzes the transfer of an acetyl group from acetyl CoA to the primary amino group of glucosamine. The enzyme from Clostridium acetobutylicum is thought to be involved in cell wall rescue. In addition to glucosamine, GlmA has been shown to function on di- and trisaccharides of glucosamine as well.