We present an atomic model for glutamine synthetase, an enzyme of central importance in bacterial nitrogen metabolism, from X-ray crystallography. The 12 identical subunits are arranged as the carbon atoms in two face-to-face benzene rings, with unusual subunit contacts. Our model, which places the active sites at the subunit interfaces, suggests a mechanism for the main functional role of glutamine synthetase: how the enzyme regulates the rate of synthesis of glutamine in response to covalent modification and feedback inhibition.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/323304a0DOI Listing

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