Glutamine and related analogs regulate guanosine monophosphate reductase in Salmonella typhimurium.

The addition of a glutamine analog, 6-diazo-5-oxo-L-norleucine, or an inhibitor of glutamine synthetase, L-methionine-dl-sulfoximine, to the growth media of most Salmonella typhimurium strains resulted in a marked elevation of guanosine monophosphate reductase levels. The elevation caused by either compound required protein synthesis and could be antagonized by exogenous glutamine. In addition, when glutamine auxotrophs were grown in suboptimal concentrations of glutamine, the guanosine monophosphate reductase levels were increased. It is postulated that glutamine or a product of its metabolism may function under normal conditions as a negative regulatory element in the control of guanosine monophosphate reductase and that decreased effective intracellular levels of glutamine result in an increase in the level of the enzyme.