What is the key structural feature of the enzyme glutamine amidotransferase?

Correct answer: Two structural domains, one for glutamine binding and one for the acceptor, connected by a channel for ammonia.

Explanation

Glutamine amidotransferases are a class of enzymes that catalyze the transfer of the amide nitrogen from glutamine to an acceptor molecule. Their characteristic structure involves two separate active sites connected by an internal channel that allows the unstable intermediate, ammonia, to travel directly from the site of its generation to the site of its utilization without being released into the solvent.

Other questions

Question 1

What is the primary function of leghemoglobin in the root nodules of leguminous plants during nitrogen fixation?

Question 2

What is the net reaction for the combined action of glutamine synthetase and glutamate synthase in bacteria and plants?

Question 3

According to the text, which of the following is NOT a characteristic of the regulation of E. coli glutamine synthetase?

Question 4

What is the primary role of the coenzyme 5-phosphoribosyl-1-pyrophosphate (PRPP) in amino acid biosynthesis?

Question 5

The biosynthesis of serine from 3-phosphoglycerate involves which sequence of general reactions?

Question 6

In the catabolism of heme, what is the role of heme oxygenase?

Question 7

What is the primary role of the coenzyme S-adenosylmethionine (adoMet)?

Question 8

What is the consequence of the irreversibility of the reaction converting N5,N10-methylenetetrahydrofolate to N5-methyltetrahydrofolate in the context of vitamin B12 deficiency?

Question 9

Which amino acid is NOT a member of the biosynthetic family derived from alpha-ketoglutarate?

Question 11

Which statement accurately describes the initial committed step in de novo purine nucleotide synthesis?

Question 12

How do mammals primarily synthesize phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine?

Question 13

What is the primary mechanism by which the drug allopurinol treats gout?

Question 14

What is the role of thioredoxin in the synthesis of deoxyribonucleotides?

Question 15

What is the key difference between the de novo biosynthetic pathways for purines and pyrimidines?

Question 16

How many ATP molecules are consumed in the overall reaction for biological nitrogen fixation to produce two molecules of ammonium ion?

Question 17

What is the source of the five-carbon skeleton for the amino acid proline?

Question 18

What is the role of allopurinol's metabolite, oxypurinol, in the treatment of gout?

Question 19

The drug methotrexate is a potent inhibitor of which enzyme?

Question 20

The disease Lesch-Nyhan syndrome is caused by a genetic lack of which enzyme activity?