The enzymatic synthesis of glutamine, a reaction utilizing adenosine triphosphate.

The preceding paper (2) describes experiments on the synthesis of glutamine in pigeon liver dispersions, which, together with the results of Krebs and his collaborators (3, 4) and of Bujard and Leuthardt (5), suggested that adenosine triphosphate may play an essential r81e in amide formation. Proof for this function of adenosine triphosphate has been obt.ained in studies with tissue extracts, which are the subject of the present paper. Partially fractionated extracts of acetone-dried pigeon liver have been found to catalyze a stoichiometric reaction between adenosine triphosphate, glutamate, and ammonia, in the presence of magnesium ions, to form glutamine, adenosine diphosphate, and inorganic phosphate.