Abundant urinary amino acids activate glutamine synthetase-encoding glnA by two different mechanisms in Escherichia coli

Growth of uropathogenic Escherichia coli in the bladder induces transcription of glnA which codes for the ammonia-assimilating glutamine synthetase (GS) despite the normally suppressive high ammonia concentration. We previously showed that the major urinary component, urea, induces transcription from the Crp-dependent glnAp1 promoter, but the urea-induced transcript is not translated. Our purpose here was to determine whether the most abundant urinary amino acids, which are known to inhibit GS activity in vitro, also affect glnA transcription in vivo. We found that the abundant amino acids impaired growth, which glutamine and glutamate reversed; this implies inhibition of GS activity. In strains with deletions of crp and glnG that force transcription from the glnAp2 and glnAp1 promoters, respectively, we examined growth and glnA transcription with a glnA-gfp transcriptional fusion and quantitative reverse transcription PCR with primers that can distinguish transcription from the two promoters. The abundant urinary amino acids stimulated transcription from the glnAp2 promoter in the absence of urea but from the glnAp1 promoter in the presence of urea. However, transcription from glnAp1 did not produce a translatable mRNA or GS as assessed by a glnA-gfp translational fusion, enzymatic assay of GS, and Western blot to detect GS antigen in urea-containing media. We discuss these results within the context of the extremely rapid growth of uropathogenic E. coli in urine, the different factors that control the two glnA promoters and possible mechanisms that either overcome or bypass the urea-imposed block of glutamine synthesis during bacterial growth in urine. IMPORTANCE Knowledge of the regulatory mechanisms for genes expressed at the site of infection provides insight into the virulence of pathogenic bacteria. During urinary tract infections—most often caused by Escherichia coli—growth in urine induces the glnA gene which codes for glutamine synthetase. The most abundant urinary amino acids amplified the effect of urea which resulted in hypertranscription from the glnAp1 promoter and, unexpectedly, an untranslated transcript. E. coli must overcome this block in glutamine synthesis during growth in urine, and the mechanism of glutamine acquisition or synthesis may suggest a possible therapy.