Chemical modification and ligand binding studies with Escherichia coli glutamate synthase

The structure and function of Escherichia coli glutamate synthase were studied by ligand binding and chemical modification experiments. Binding of NADP+ was to a single dinucleotide site per alpha beta protomer with a Kd of approximately 5 microM. Phenylglyoxal modified an essential arginyl residue required for binding of NADP+. E. coli glutamate synthase thus employs a single dinucleotide binding site which functions in the NADPH to flavin electron transfer for glutamine-dependent glutamate synthase and for direct reduction of 2-iminoglutarate by NADPH in the NH3-dependent reaction. Binding of 2-oxoglutarate was complex. "Half of the sites" binding of 2-oxoglutarate (Kd less than 0.25 microM) was obtained in the absence of glutamine. Binding to half of the sites was pH independent. In the presence of glutamine, the 2-oxoglutarate binding ratio was approximately 1 equiv per protomer (Kd = 2-3 microM) at pH 7.5. This binding was pH dependent and varied between 0.43 equiv per protomer at pH 6.7 and 2.3 equiv per protomer at pH 9.0. Correlation of half of the sites binding with negative cooperativity for 2-oxoglutarate saturation indicates the utilization of low-Kd 2-oxoglutarate sites for NH3-dependent glutamate synthase. Binding of glutamine promotes a conformational change that exposes additional 2-oxoglutarate sites having a Kd of 2-3 microM which are utilized in the glutamine-dependent reaction. Chemical modification with pyridoxal 5'-phosphate caused inactivation of glutamine-dependent but not NH3-dependent glutamate synthase. Inactivation was ascribed to modification of one to two lysyl residues per protomer by Schiff base formation. The essential lysyl residue has a role in the binding of glutamine.