Production of glutamine synthetase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is controlled by three regulatory systems. One system responds to glutamine levels and depends on the positively acting GLN3 product. This system mediates derepression of glutamine synthetase in response to pyrimidine limitation as well, but genetic evidence argues that this is an indirect effect of depletion of the glutamine pool. The second system is general amino acid control, which couples derepression of a variety of biosynthetic enzymes to starvation for many single amino acids. This system operates through the positive regulatory element GCN4. Expression of histidinol dehydrogenase, which is under general control, is not stimulated by glutamine limitation. A third system responds to purine limitation. No specific regulatory element has been identified, but depression of glutamine synthetase is observed during purine starvation in gln3 gcn4 double mutants. This demonstrates that a separate purine regulatory element must exist. Pulse-labeling and immunoprecipitation experiments indicate that all three systems control glutamine synthetase at the level of subunit synthesis.
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