Regulation of bacterial glutamine synthase (GlnA) by adenylylation and (indirectly) by uridylylation. Uridylyltransferase (GlnD) uridylylates the regulatory PII protein (GlnB) which determines whether adenylyltransferase (GlnE) adenylylates or de-adenylylates glutamine synthase. GlnD is a bifunctional enzyme that both attaches and removes UMP from GlnB. GlnD is activated by α-ketoglutarate and ATP (green) but inhibited by glutamine and inorganic phosphate (Pi, in red). The protein names are those in E. coli. Homologs in other bacteria may have different names.[1]
Nucleotidyltransferases are transferase enzymes of phosphorus-containing groups, e.g., substituents of nucleotidylic acids or simply nucleoside monophosphates. The general reaction of transferring a nucleoside monophosphate moiety from A to B, can be written as:
A-P-N + B A + B-P-N
For example, in the case of polymerases, A is pyrophosphate and B is the nascent polynucleotide.
They are classified under EC number 2.7.7 and they can be categorised into: