Regulation of synthesis of glutamate dehydrogenase and glutamine synthetase in micro-organisms

1. Aspergillus nidulans, Neurospora crassa and Escherichia coli were grown on media containing a range of concentrations of nitrate, or ammonia, or urea, or l-glutamate, or l-glutamine as the sole source of nitrogen and the glutamate dehydrogenate and glutamine synthetase of the cells measured. 2. Aspergillus, Neurospora and Escherichia coli cells, grown on l-glutamate or on high concentrations of ammonia or on high concentrations of urea, possessed low glutamate dehydrogenase activity compared with cells grown on other nitrogen sources. 3. Aspergillus, Neurospora and Escherichia coli cells grown on l-glutamate possessed high glutamine synthetase activity compared with cells grown on other nitrogen sources. 4. The hypothesis is proposed that in Aspergillus, Neurospora and Escherichia colil-glutamate represses the synthesis of glutamate dehydrogenase and l-glutamine represses the synthesis of glutamine synthetase. 5. A comparison of the glutamine-synthesizing activity and the gamma-glutamyltransferase activity of glutamine synthetase in Aspergillus and Neurospora gave no indication that these fungi produce different forms of glutamine synthetase when grown on ammonia or l-glutamate as nitrogen sources.