Immunological relationships of glutamine synthetases from marine and terrestrial enterobacteria.

Glutamine synthetase (GS) fromBeneckea alginolytica strain 90 was purified to homogeneity as indicated by sodium dodecyl sulface polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The purified enzyme was injected into rabbits, and the antiserum, as well as previously prepared antiserum against the GS fromEscherichia coli, was used in Ouchterlony double diffusion experiments. From the results of these studies, the marine and terrestrial enterobacteria could be separated into five major groups consisting of (i)Beneckea and related organisms, (ii)Photobacterium phosphoreum, P. leiognathi, andP. angustum, (iii) species ofAeromonas, (iv)Xenorhabdus luminescens, and (v) species of terrestrial enterobacteria. Evidence is presented that inB. alginolytica, as in other Gramnegative eubacteria, GS activity is regulated by adenylylation and deadenylylation.