Characterization of a gene, glnL, the product of which is involved in the regulation of nitrogen utilization in Escherichia coli

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

DNA was prepared from a strain of Escherichia coli bearing a mutation which confers the GlnC phenotype (inability to reduce the expression of glnA and other nitrogen-regulated operons in response to ammonia in the growth medium). A fragment of this DNA carrying glnA, the structural gene for glutamine synthetase, was cloned on plasmid pBR322. By using recombination in vitro, we mapped the GlnC mutation to a region between glnA and glnG. This region defines a gene, glnL, which codes for a trans-acting product; the GlnC mutant produces an altered product. The glnL product plays a key role in the communication of information concerning the quality and abundance of the nitrogen source in the growth medium to a destination responsible for the regulation of glnA and other genes for enzymes responsible for nitrogen utilization.