Establishment of glutamine synthetase of Mycobacterium smegmatis as a protein acetyltransferase utilizing polyphenolic acetates as the acetyl group donors.

Acetoxy Drug: Protein Transacetylase (TAase) mediating the transfer of acetyl group(s) from polyphenolic acetates (PA) to certain functional proteins in mammalian cells was identified by our earlier investigations. TAase activity was characterized in the cell lysates of Mycobacterium smegmatis and the purified protein was found to have M(r) 58,000. TAase catalysed protein acetylation by a model acetoxy drug 7,8-diacetoxy-4-methylcoumarin (DAMC) was established by the demonstration of immunoreactivity of the acetylated target protein with an anti-acetyllysine antibody.