GLUL

gene
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Summary

GLUL (glutamate-ammonia ligase, HGNC:4341) is a protein-coding gene on chromosome 1q25.3, encoding Glutamine synthetase (P15104). Glutamine synthetase that catalyzes the ATP-dependent conversion of glutamate and ammonia to glutamine.

The protein encoded by this gene belongs to the glutamine synthetase family. It catalyzes the synthesis of glutamine from glutamate and ammonia in an ATP-dependent reaction. This protein plays a role in ammonia and glutamate detoxification, acid-base homeostasis, cell signaling, and cell proliferation. Glutamine is an abundant amino acid, and is important to the biosynthesis of several amino acids, pyrimidines, and purines. Mutations in this gene are associated with congenital glutamine deficiency, and overexpression of this gene was observed in some primary liver cancer samples. There are six pseudogenes of this gene found on chromosomes 2, 5, 9, 11, and 12. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants.

Source: NCBI Gene 2752 — RefSeq curated summary.

At a glance

  • Gene–disease (curated): congenital brain dysgenesis due to glutamine synthetase deficiency (Definitive, GenCC) — +2 more curated relationships
  • GWAS associations: 50
  • Clinical variants (ClinVar): 274 total — 5 pathogenic, 5 likely-pathogenic
  • Phenotypes (HPO): 48
  • Druggable target: yes — 1 molecules with ChEMBL bioactivity
  • Dosage sensitivity (ClinGen): haploinsufficiency autosomal recessive, triplosensitivity no evidence
  • MANE Select transcript: NM_001033044

Identifiers

Gene identifiers

FieldValue
HGNC IDHGNC:4341
Approved symbolGLUL
Nameglutamate-ammonia ligase
Location1q25.3
Locus typegene with protein product
StatusApproved
Ensembl geneENSG00000135821
Ensembl biotypeprotein_coding
OMIM138290
Entrez2752

Gene structure

Transcript identifiers

Ensembl transcripts: 11 — 5 protein_coding, 5 retained_intron, 1 protein_coding_CDS_not_defined

ENST00000311223, ENST00000331872, ENST00000339526, ENST00000417584, ENST00000461447, ENST00000462444, ENST00000463851, ENST00000475808, ENST00000489818, ENST00000491322, ENST00000642379

RefSeq mRNA: 3 — MANE Select: NM_001033044 NM_001033044, NM_001033056, NM_002065

CCDS: CCDS1344

Canonical transcript exons

ENST00000331872 — 7 exons

ExonStartEnd
ENSE00000000279182378098182384723
ENSE00003520164182387131182387292
ENSE00003541539182386256182386402
ENSE00003616388182388572182388750
ENSE00003650736182385760182385887
ENSE00003686762182385357182385556
ENSE00003902209182391679182391790

Expression profiles

Bgee: expression breadth ubiquitous, 309 present calls, max score 99.98.

FANTOM5 (CAGE): breadth ubiquitous, TPM avg 104.3890 / max 2825.2504, expressed in 1808 samples.

FANTOM5 promoters (10 alternative TSS)

Promoter IDTPM avgSamples expressed
1614993.81071799
161475.79041351
161482.7983782
161500.6022303
161400.6010323
161460.3362186
161440.23879
161510.100634
161450.07185
161430.039223

Top tissues by expression

309 total, by Bgee expression score (0-100, higher = more expressed):

TissueAnatomy IDExpression scoreQuality
endothelial cellCL:000011599.98gold quality
medial globus pallidusUBERON:000247799.95gold quality
globus pallidusUBERON:000187599.93gold quality
palpebral conjunctivaUBERON:000181299.92gold quality
amniotic fluidUBERON:000017399.91gold quality
buccal mucosa cellCL:000233699.90gold quality
mucosa of paranasal sinusUBERON:000503099.90gold quality
eyeUBERON:000097099.89gold quality
epithelium of nasopharynxUBERON:000195199.89gold quality
nasopharynxUBERON:000172899.88gold quality
choroid plexus epitheliumUBERON:000391199.87gold quality
ventral tegmental areaUBERON:000269199.85gold quality
occipital lobeUBERON:000202199.84gold quality
germinal epithelium of ovaryUBERON:000130499.83gold quality
trigeminal ganglionUBERON:000167599.83gold quality
primary visual cortexUBERON:000243699.83gold quality
lateral globus pallidusUBERON:000247699.83gold quality
dorsal motor nucleus of vagus nerveUBERON:000287099.83gold quality
inferior vagus X ganglionUBERON:000536399.82gold quality
Brodmann (1909) area 23UBERON:001355499.82gold quality
nucleus accumbensUBERON:000188299.81gold quality
substantia nigra pars reticulataUBERON:000196699.81gold quality
right frontal lobeUBERON:000281099.81gold quality
left testisUBERON:000453399.81gold quality
right testisUBERON:000453499.81gold quality
parietal pleuraUBERON:000240099.80gold quality
putamenUBERON:000187499.79gold quality
medulla oblongataUBERON:000189699.79gold quality
superior vestibular nucleusUBERON:000722799.79gold quality
cardia of stomachUBERON:000116299.78gold quality

Single-cell (SCXA)

Detected in 35 experiment(s), a significant marker in 33.

ExperimentMarker?Max mean expression
E-GEOD-137537yes10515.84
E-MTAB-7316yes7899.61
E-ANND-2yes3177.06
E-MTAB-6308yes3025.91
E-MTAB-10137yes2122.17
E-MTAB-7407yes2059.69
E-MTAB-8530yes1974.78
E-HCAD-1yes97.28
E-CURD-122yes80.40
E-MTAB-6701yes72.71
E-MTAB-8410yes57.60
E-HCAD-10yes54.99
E-CURD-88yes46.17
E-GEOD-135922yes45.71
E-MTAB-8142yes44.73

Regulation

Is transcription factor: no

Upstream regulators (CollecTRI, top): CTNNB1, FOXO1, HNF4A, MYB, NR3C1, RBPJ, REST, STAT5A, STAT5B

miRNA regulators (miRDB)

219 targeting GLUL, top 30 by miRDB confidence (max_score; target_count = how many genes the miRNA targets in total — lower means more specific):

miRNAMax scoreAvg scoremiRNA target_count
HSA-MIR-4481100.0066.421669
HSA-MIR-3646100.0073.565283
HSA-MIR-1252-5P100.0069.802774
HSA-MIR-3163100.0077.238605
HSA-MIR-12118100.0065.881270
HSA-MIR-4283100.0066.422097
HSA-MIR-1193100.0065.93529
HSA-MIR-548C-3P99.9974.017587
HSA-MIR-366299.9973.825684
HSA-MIR-371B-5P99.9975.344759
HSA-MIR-196A-1-3P99.9972.152772
HSA-MIR-453499.9966.581907
HSA-MIR-607799.9968.042299
HSA-MIR-4745-5P99.9865.951028
HSA-MIR-477599.9875.006394
HSA-MIR-373-5P99.9875.364753
HSA-MIR-616-5P99.9875.584775
HSA-MIR-806899.9873.852376
HSA-MIR-6891-5P99.9866.531372
HSA-MIR-3173-3P99.9866.491217
HSA-MIR-512-3P99.9767.351049
HSA-MIR-314899.9775.066478
HSA-MIR-365899.9673.874379
HSA-MIR-548AA99.9670.643753
HSA-MIR-548AP-3P99.9670.643753
HSA-MIR-548T-3P99.9670.643753
HSA-MIR-590-3P99.9674.346478
HSA-MIR-302E99.9670.742669
HSA-MIR-548AJ-3P99.9673.385345
HSA-MIR-548X-3P99.9673.385345

Functional genomics

ClinGen dosage: haploinsufficiency 30 (autosomal recessive), triplosensitivity 0 (no evidence). ClinGen Gene Dosage Map

Literature-anchored findings (GeneRIF, showing 40)

  • 2D fingerprinting & mass spectrometry reveal specific targets of protein oxidation in Alzheimer’s disease brain, including glutamine synthase, suggesting involvement of oxidatively modified proteins in neurodegeneration. (PMID:12160938)
  • The detection of a significantly reduced enzymatic activity in the epileptic amygdala supports the assumption that the enzyme defect is localized to the epileptic mesial temporal lobe of corresponding patients. (PMID:16095760)
  • Liver tissue samples from HCV-HCC cancerous tissues and corresponding non-cancerous tissues from patients showed three protein spots of the same molecular mass (42 kDa), whose expression increased in well-differentiated cancerous tissues. (PMID:16609938)
  • In myocytes and hepatomas, but not in adipocytes, glutamine acts to moderate glutamine synthetase induction by glucocorticoids. (PMID:17197094)
  • We confirmed the induction of GS expression by dexamethasone published previously. Components of the glutamatergic system may play a role in bone pathophysiology (PMID:17627080)
  • Crystal structure of GLUL illustrates substrate-induced conformational change and provides opportunities for drug and herbicide design. (PMID:18005987)
  • in solid pseudopapillary neoplasm of the pancreas glutamine synthetase expression is highly correlated with Wnt/beta-catenin activation, demonstrating its faithfulness as a Wnt target gene (PMID:18192886)
  • glutamine synthetase has a role in control of glutamate signalling through Wnt3A and steroid pathways in osteoblastic cells (PMID:18555765)
  • Glutamine synthetase can be found during early human fetal stages when it displays a significant effect on cell proliferation (PMID:18662667)
  • These results suggest that GAD2 and GLUL do not play a major role in schizophrenia pathogenesis and there is no gene-gene interaction between the eight genes in the Japanese population. (PMID:19125103)
  • This study suggests that seizures in GBM are coupled with a highly localized glutamine synthetase deficiency. (PMID:19183851)
  • GS localization was investigated using immunohistochemistry and double-labeling of young and adult human and rat skin sections as well as skin cells in culture. (PMID:19204801)
  • A reliable marker for the detection of hepatocellular carcinoma in liver biopsies. (PMID:19231003)
  • GS mRNA and protein expression was not different between normal and fetal growth restriction pregnancy (PMID:19500843)
  • Standard histology and glutamine synthase status identify a hepatocellular carcinoma subset with distinct clinical and pathologic features. (PMID:20233882)
  • This protein has been found differentially expressed in thalami from patients with schizophrenia. (PMID:20471030)
  • Glutamine synthetase was up-regulated in hepatocellular carcinoma and may be a novel marker for early diagnosis. (PMID:20525558)
  • The Glul can serve as novel target in diabetes mellitus genetic therapy. (PMID:20536387)
  • This study suggests that serum glutamine synthetase levels have no diagnostic value for Alzheimer’s disease. (PMID:21597934)
  • glutamine synthetase expression can be used to distinguish astrocytic from oligodendroglial tumors and may play a role in the pathogenesis of astrocytomas. (PMID:21682567)
  • Data show that the acidification followed by neutralisation (AFBN) pre-treatment protocol for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) significantly enhances the measurement of glutamine synthetase (GS) and myelin basic protein (MBP) in CSF. (PMID:22542401)
  • The presence of GS in the post-acrosomal region of the perinuclear theca suggests that human sperm can carry out in glutamine synthesis. (PMID:22777743)
  • these results suggest that GLUL contributes to pancreatic regeneration. (PMID:22930410)
  • Glutamine synthetase expression is increased in regenerating hepatocytes and in early hepatocyte progenitor cells prior to morphological evidence of hepatocellular differentiation. (PMID:23362937)
  • High Glutamine synthetase expression is associated with epilepsy in newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme. (PMID:23410662)
  • Results highlight the diagnostic errors that can be caused by variant patterns of staining with glutamine synthetase and serum amyloid-associated protein in inflammatory hepatocellular adenoma and focal nodular hyperplasia. (PMID:23807780)
  • through a 3-stage genome-wide association study in 4188 type 2 diabetic patients, identified a novel susceptibility locus for coronary heart disease in the region of the GLUL gene (PMID:23982368)
  • findings point to SNP rs10911021 of GLULas an independent modulator of mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes (PMID:25677913)
  • Data indicate that the triple stain of reticulin, glypican-3, and glutamine synthetae is useful in the differentiation of hepatocellular carcinoma, hepatic adenoma, and focal nodular hyperplasia. (PMID:25822763)
  • GLUL rs10911021 is associated prospectively with adjudicated cardiovascular composite end points among overweight/obese individuals with type 2 diabetes. (PMID:26395743)
  • Data show that glutamine synthetase (GS) produces glutamine (Gln) from tricarboxylic acid (TCA)-cycle-derived carbons. (PMID:26595383)
  • This study demonstrated that Influence of glutamine synthetase gene polymorphisms on the development of hyperammonemia during valproic acid-based therapy. (PMID:26599579)
  • Studied molecular mechanisms of glutamine synthetase mutations that lead to clinically relevant pathologies. (PMID:26836257)
  • GS is acetylated at lysines 11 and 14, yielding a degron that is necessary and sufficient for binding and ubiquitylation by CRL4(CRBN) and degradation by the proteasome. (PMID:26990986)
  • GLUL knockdown markedly inhibited the p38 MAPK and ERK1/ERK2 signaling pathways in cultured breast cancer cells and reduces their proliferation. (PMID:27791265)
  • co-targeting glutamine synthetase in stroma and glutaminase in cancer cells reduces tumor weight, nodules, and metastasis. (PMID:27829138)
  • genome-wide association study to identify genetic factors for familial hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma; results identified 2 large effect susceptible haplotypes located at GLUL and SLC13A2/FOXN1 (PMID:28662289)
  • The data identify GS activity as mediator of the proangiogenic, immunosuppressive, and pro-metastatic function of M2-like macrophages and highlight the possibility of targeting this enzyme in the treatment of cancer metastasis. (PMID:28813676)
  • Data show that 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25D) downregulation of glutamine synthetase (GLUL; GS)) was sufficient to reduce abundance and enzyme activity of GS. (PMID:29029014)
  • The SNP rs10911021 near glutamate-ammonia ligase is associated with oxidative stress in coronary heart disease patients from Pakistan. (PMID:29304826)

Cross-species orthologs

9 orthologs

OrganismSymbolGene ID
danio_rerioglulaENSDARG00000099776
danio_rerioglulbENSDARG00000100003
mus_musculusGlulENSMUSG00000026473
rattus_norvegicusGlulENSRNOG00000049560
drosophila_melanogasterGs2FBGN0001145
caenorhabditis_elegansWBGENE00001602
caenorhabditis_elegansWBGENE00001604
caenorhabditis_elegansWBGENE00001606
caenorhabditis_elegansWBGENE00001607

Paralogs (1): LGSN (ENSG00000146166)

Protein

Protein identifiers

Glutamine synthetaseP15104 (reviewed: P15104)

Alternative names: Glutamate–ammonia ligase, Palmitoyltransferase GLUL

All UniProt accessions (3): A0A2R8YDT1, A8YXX4, P15104

UniProt curated annotations — full annotation on UniProt →

Function. Glutamine synthetase that catalyzes the ATP-dependent conversion of glutamate and ammonia to glutamine. Its role depends on tissue localization: in the brain, it regulates the levels of toxic ammonia and converts neurotoxic glutamate to harmless glutamine, whereas in the liver, it is one of the enzymes responsible for the removal of ammonia. Plays a key role in ammonium detoxification during erythropoiesis: the glutamine synthetase activity is required to remove ammonium generated by porphobilinogen deaminase (HMBS) during heme biosynthesis to prevent ammonium accumulation and oxidative stress. Essential for proliferation of fetal skin fibroblasts. Independently of its glutamine synthetase activity, required for endothelial cell migration during vascular development: acts by regulating membrane localization and activation of the GTPase RHOJ, possibly by promoting RHOJ palmitoylation. May act as a palmitoyltransferase for RHOJ: able to autopalmitoylate and then transfer the palmitoyl group to RHOJ. Plays a role in ribosomal 40S subunit biogenesis. Through the interaction with BEST2, inhibits BEST2 channel activity by affecting the gating at the aperture in the absence of intracellular L-glutamate, but sensitizes BEST2 to intracellular L-glutamate, which promotes the opening of BEST2 and thus relieves its inhibitory effect on BEST2.

Subunit / interactions. Decamer; composed of two pentamers. Interacts with PALMD. Interacts with RHOJ. Interacts with BEST2; this interaction tethers a fraction of GLUL to the membrane, causing a decrease of cytosolic glutamine synthase (GS) activity and inhibits the chloride channel activity of BEST2 by affecting the gating at the aperture in the absence of intracellular glutamate.

Subcellular location. Cytoplasm. Cytosol. Microsome. Mitochondrion. Cell membrane.

Tissue specificity. Expressed in endothelial cells.

Post-translational modifications. Acetylated by EP300/p300; acetylation is stimulated by increased glutamine levels and promotes ubiquitin-mediated proteasomal degradation. Palmitoylated; undergoes autopalmitoylation. Ubiquitinated by ZNRF1. Ubiquitinated by the DCX (DDB1-CUL4-X-box) E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase complex called CRL4(CRBN), leading to proteasomal degradation.

Disease relevance. Glutamine deficiency, congenital (GLND) [MIM:610015] An autosomal recessive disorder characterized by variable brain malformations, encephalopathy, severe developmental delay, seizures, and decreased glutamine levels in bodily fluids. Death in early infancy may occur. The disease is caused by variants affecting the gene represented in this entry. Developmental and epileptic encephalopathy 116 (DEE116) [MIM:620806] A form of epileptic encephalopathy, a heterogeneous group of early-onset epilepsies characterized by refractory seizures, neurodevelopmental impairment, and poor prognosis. Development is normal prior to seizure onset, after which cognitive and motor delays become apparent. DEE116 is autosomal dominant form characterized by severe developmental delay, seizures, and white matter abnormalities. The disease is caused by variants affecting the gene represented in this entry. DEE116 is caused by variants that disrupt the canonical translation start codon in GLUL resulting in initiation of translation at Met-18. The resulting protein is enzymatically competent but insensitive to negative feedback regulation via glutamine-induced degradation.

Activity regulation. Glutamine synthetase activity is inhibited by methionine sulfoximine (MSO).

Induction. By glucocorticoids. Vitamin D and the Wnt signaling pathway inhibit its expression and activity. Glutamine synthase (GS) levels are regulated by a negative feedback mechanism where elevated glutamine levels stimulate GS ubiquitin-mediated proteasomal degradation.

Similarity. Belongs to the glutamine synthetase family.

RefSeq proteins (3): NP_001028216, NP_001028228, NP_002056 (=MANE)

Domains & families (InterPro)

IDNameType
IPR008146Gln_synth_cat_domDomain
IPR008147Gln_synt_NDomain
IPR014746Gln_synth/guanido_kin_cat_domHomologous_superfamily
IPR027302Gln_synth_N_conserv_siteConserved_site
IPR027303Gln_synth_gly_rich_siteConserved_site
IPR036651Gln_synt_N_sfHomologous_superfamily
IPR050292Glutamine_SynthetaseFamily

Pfam: PF00120, PF03951

Enzyme classification (BRENDA):

  • EC 6.3.1.2 — glutamine synthetase (BRENDA: 154 organisms, 215 substrates, 506 inhibitors, 335 Km, 63 kcat entries)

Substrate kinetics (BRENDA)

17 substrates with measured Km, best-characterized 15. Km ranges are aggregated across organisms/conditions.

SubstrateKm (mM)Measurements
ATP0.05–2887
NH4+0.004–3355
L-GLUTAMATE0.2–10444
HYDROXYLAMINE0.35–62.530
L-GLU0.0025–5027
ADP0.0001–3.815
GLU0.9–1415
L-GLUTAMINE0.0067–32.613
NH30.17–12010
GLN4.9–48.66
GLUTAMATE1.4–21.66
L-GLN11.1–606
ETHYLAMINE500–7002
METHYLAMINE20–1002
3-AMINOPENTANEDIOATE1751

Catalyzed reactions (Rhea), 2 shown:

  • L-glutamate + NH4(+) + ATP = L-glutamine + ADP + phosphate + H(+) (RHEA:16169)
  • L-cysteinyl-[protein] + hexadecanoyl-CoA = S-hexadecanoyl-L-cysteinyl-[protein] + CoA (RHEA:36683)

UniProt features (82 total): strand 22, binding site 15, helix 14, mutagenesis site 8, sequence conflict 6, modified residue 5, turn 5, domain 2, sequence variant 2, initiator methionine 1, chain 1, region of interest 1

Structure

Experimental structures (PDB)

12 structures.

PDBMethodResolution (Å)
9NM5X-RAY DIFFRACTION1.85
9OTPELECTRON MICROSCOPY1.95
9OTOELECTRON MICROSCOPY2.03
2OJWX-RAY DIFFRACTION2.05
9OTNELECTRON MICROSCOPY2.11
9OTMELECTRON MICROSCOPY2.19
9OTQELECTRON MICROSCOPY2.27
9NLRX-RAY DIFFRACTION2.3
2QC8X-RAY DIFFRACTION2.6
8DNUELECTRON MICROSCOPY2.73
9NR3X-RAY DIFFRACTION2.93
7EVTX-RAY DIFFRACTION2.95

Predicted structure (AlphaFold)

ModelpLDDTFraction very-high
AF-P15104-F197.580.97

Functional residue map

Curated UniProt residues grouped by drug-discovery relevance — catalytic, ligand-binding, modification, and mutation-validated positions. Source: UniProtKB sequence features.

Ligand- & substrate-binding residues (15): 203; 246–247; 253; 255–257; 319; 319; 324; 336–338; 338; 340; 134; 134

Post-translational modifications (5): 2, 11, 14, 104, 343

Mutagenesis-validated functional residues (8):

PositionPhenotype
2–17is stable in high glutamine conditions and does not undergo glutamine-induced degradation.
11increased ubiquitination and increased proteasomal degradation; when associated with a-14.
11decreased glutamine-induced acetylation; when associated with r-14. decreased ubiquitination and decreased proteasomal d
14increased ubiquitination and increased proteasomal degradation; when associated with a-11.
14decreased glutamine-induced acetylation; when associated with r-11. decreased ubiquitination and decreased proteasomal d
209reduced ability to mediate autopalmitoylation.
299loss of glutamine synthase activity. does not affect interaction with best2.
324decreases ribosomal 40s subunit synthesis. loss of nucleolar location of bysl.

Function

Pathways and Gene Ontology

Reactome pathways

2 pathways

IDPathway
R-HSA-210455Astrocytic Glutamate-Glutamine Uptake And Metabolism
R-HSA-8964539Glutamate and glutamine metabolism

MSigDB gene sets: 519 (showing top): GSE45365_NK_CELL_VS_CD8_TCELL_DN, GOBP_MYELOID_CELL_DIFFERENTIATION, MODULE_92, GOBP_RIBOSOME_BIOGENESIS, DAVIES_MULTIPLE_MYELOMA_VS_MGUS_DN, KOBAYASHI_EGFR_SIGNALING_24HR_UP, GOBP_GLUTAMINE_FAMILY_AMINO_ACID_BIOSYNTHETIC_PROCESS, WANG_CLIM2_TARGETS_UP, GOBP_POSITIVE_REGULATION_OF_ERYTHROCYTE_DIFFERENTIATION, GOBP_MYELOID_CELL_HOMEOSTASIS, GOBP_LIPOPROTEIN_METABOLIC_PROCESS, GOBP_ALPHA_AMINO_ACID_METABOLIC_PROCESS, GOBP_GLUTAMATE_METABOLIC_PROCESS, GOBP_ERYTHROCYTE_HOMEOSTASIS, GRAESSMANN_APOPTOSIS_BY_DOXORUBICIN_UP

GO Biological Process (13): angiogenesis (GO:0001525), L-glutamate catabolic process (GO:0006538), obsolete glutamine biosynthetic process (GO:0006542), cell population proliferation (GO:0008283), cellular response to starvation (GO:0009267), response to glucose (GO:0009749), regulation of endothelial cell migration (GO:0010594), protein palmitoylation (GO:0018345), ribosome biogenesis (GO:0042254), positive regulation of erythrocyte differentiation (GO:0045648), intracellular ammonium homeostasis (GO:0097275), regulation of sprouting angiogenesis (GO:1903670), regulation of protein localization to nucleolus (GO:1904749)

GO Molecular Function (10): glutamine synthetase activity (GO:0004356), ATP binding (GO:0005524), protein-cysteine S-palmitoyltransferase activity (GO:0019706), identical protein binding (GO:0042802), metal ion binding (GO:0046872), nucleotide binding (GO:0000166), catalytic activity (GO:0003824), protein binding (GO:0005515), transferase activity (GO:0016740), ligase activity (GO:0016874)

GO Cellular Component (10): nucleus (GO:0005634), cytoplasm (GO:0005737), mitochondrion (GO:0005739), cytosol (GO:0005829), plasma membrane (GO:0005886), cell body (GO:0044297), extracellular exosome (GO:0070062), glial cell projection (GO:0097386), endoplasmic reticulum (GO:0005783), membrane (GO:0016020)

Reactome top-level categories

Rollup of top-2 pathways:

CategoryPathways
Neurotransmitter uptake and metabolism In glial cells1
Metabolism of amino acids and derivatives1

GO top-level categories

Rollup of top GO terms by namespace:

CategoryTerms
cellular anatomical structure4
intracellular membrane-bounded organelle3
cytoplasm3
catalytic activity2
blood vessel morphogenesis1
anatomical structure formation involved in morphogenesis1
glutamate metabolic process1
dicarboxylic acid catabolic process1
L-amino acid catabolic process1
proteinogenic amino acid catabolic process1
cellular process1
cellular response to nutrient levels1
cellular response to stress1
response to starvation1
response to hexose1
regulation of cell migration1
endothelial cell migration1
protein lipidation1
protein acylation1
ribonucleoprotein complex biogenesis1
erythrocyte differentiation1
positive regulation of myeloid cell differentiation1
regulation of erythrocyte differentiation1
intracellular chemical homeostasis1
ammonium homeostasis1
sprouting angiogenesis1
regulation of angiogenesis1
regulation of protein localization to nucleus1
protein localization to nucleolus1
ammonia ligase activity1
adenyl ribonucleotide binding1
purine ribonucleoside triphosphate binding1
palmitoyltransferase activity1
protein-cysteine S-acyltransferase activity1
protein binding1
cation binding1
nucleoside phosphate binding1
heterocyclic compound binding1
molecular_function1
binding1

Protein interactions and networks

STRING

4714 interactions, top by confidence (×1000):

Protein AProtein BPartner UniProtScore
GLULLGSNQ5TDP6940
GLULHSPD1P10809845
GLULSLC1A2P43004817
GLULSLC1A3P43003812
GLULPRDX4Q13162804
GLULGLUD1P00367797
GLULRIPK3Q9Y572747
GLULASNSP08184733
GLULPCP11498728
GLULH7C2H4H7C2H4722
GLULGFAPP14136717
GLULGLSO94925717
GLULGLS2Q9UI32714
GLULPLGP00747706
GLULP0DN79P0DN79695

IntAct

113 interactions, top by confidence:

ABTypeScore
GLULGLULpsi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.850
AMPHBIN1psi-mi:“MI:0914”(association)0.740
CCNCMED19psi-mi:“MI:0914”(association)0.640
RNASEH2CRNASEH2Apsi-mi:“MI:0914”(association)0.640
TATGLULpsi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.560
NUDT18GLULpsi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.550
C1orf94USO1psi-mi:“MI:0914”(association)0.550
GLULNUDT18psi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.550
TBC1D22BA2ML1psi-mi:“MI:0914”(association)0.530
GLULDMXL2psi-mi:“MI:0914”(association)0.530
SSBP2CLEC18Apsi-mi:“MI:0914”(association)0.530
CREB3MYO9Apsi-mi:“MI:0914”(association)0.530
DHDHATRNpsi-mi:“MI:0914”(association)0.530
PNMA2CCDC85Cpsi-mi:“MI:0914”(association)0.530
PB2GLULpsi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.510
GLULPB2psi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.510
RHOJGLULpsi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.510
RHOJGLULpsi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.400
PAGLULpsi-mi:“MI:0915”(physical association)0.370

BioGRID (179): GLUL (Two-hybrid), GLUL (Affinity Capture-MS), NME7 (Affinity Capture-MS), DMXL2 (Affinity Capture-MS), TCHP (Affinity Capture-MS), UBAP2 (Affinity Capture-MS), ASPSCR1 (Affinity Capture-MS), PLEKHF2 (Two-hybrid), GLUL (Two-hybrid), NUDT18 (Two-hybrid), GLUL (Affinity Capture-MS), GLUL (Two-hybrid), ZNRF1 (Affinity Capture-Western), GLUL (Affinity Capture-Western), GLUL (Affinity Capture-MS)

ESM2 similar proteins: O00088, O22504, O82560, P00965, P04078, P04770, P08282, P0CN84, P0CN85, P12424, P14654, P15103, P15104, P16580, P23712, P24099, P32288, P32289, P38559, P38560, P38561, P38562, P46410, P51118, P51119, P52782, Q09179, Q12613, Q42899, Q43785, Q4R7U3, Q4W8D0, Q56WN1, Q6B4U7, Q6C3E0, Q6FMT6, Q75BT9, Q86ZF9, Q86ZU6, Q874T6

Diamond homologs: O00088, O04867, O22504, O22506, O82560, P00965, P04078, P04770, P04771, P04772, P04773, P07694, P08281, P08282, P09606, P0CN84, P0CN85, P11600, P12424, P13564, P14636, P14654, P14655, P14656, P15102, P15103, P15104, P15105, P16580, P19432, P20477, P20478, P20805, P22878, P23712, P24099, P25462, P32288, P32289, P34497

SIGNOR signaling

4 interactions.

AEffectBMechanism
GLUL“down-regulates quantity”L-glutamate(1-)“chemical modification”
GLUL“down-regulates quantity”ammonium“chemical modification”
GLUL“up-regulates quantity”“L-glutamine zwitterion”“chemical modification”
dexamethasone“up-regulates quantity by expression”GLUL

Enriched among interaction partners

Reactome pathways and GO biological processes over-represented among this gene’s 112 IntAct physical interaction partners (hypergeometric vs the genome-wide background, BH-FDR, gene-set size 15–500, ranked by fold). A functional readout of the neighbourhood — distinct from this gene’s own memberships above, and biased toward well-studied / hub proteins, so read it as themes rather than proof.

Reactome pathways:

PathwayPartnersFoldFDR
SUMOylation of transcription factors543.3×5e-05
Formation of Incision Complex in GG-NER519.2×2e-03

Disease & clinical

Clinical variants and AI predictions

ClinVar

274 variants total. Per-class counts are floors (≥ shown; pagination cap):

ClassificationCount (floor)
Pathogenic5
Likely pathogenic5
Uncertain significance146
Likely benign65
Benign31

Top pathogenic / likely-pathogenic (10)

Variant IDHGVSClassification
1048524NM_001033044.4(GLUL):c.415del (p.Leu139fs)Pathogenic
16083NM_001033044.4(GLUL):c.970C>T (p.Arg324Cys)Pathogenic
16084NM_001033044.4(GLUL):c.1021C>T (p.Arg341Cys)Pathogenic
29734NM_001033044.4(GLUL):c.970C>A (p.Arg324Ser)Pathogenic
430447NM_001033044.4(GLUL):c.1A>T (p.Met1Leu)Pathogenic
1048523NM_001033044.4(GLUL):c.1075T>G (p.Cys359Gly)Likely pathogenic
3899941NM_001033044.4(GLUL):c.-13-1G>CLikely pathogenic
3899942NM_001033044.4(GLUL):c.604T>C (p.Trp202Arg)Likely pathogenic
4277364NM_001033044.4(GLUL):c.602A>C (p.Gln201Pro)Likely pathogenic
4294439NM_001033044.4(GLUL):c.2T>C (p.Met1Thr)Likely pathogenic

SpliceAI

935 predictions. Top by Δscore:

VariantEffectΔscore
1:182384719:TGTAC:Tacceptor_gain1.0000
1:182384720:GTAC:Gacceptor_gain1.0000
1:182384721:TAC:Tacceptor_gain1.0000
1:182384722:AC:Aacceptor_gain1.0000
1:182384723:CC:Cacceptor_gain1.0000
1:182384724:C:CCacceptor_gain1.0000
1:182384725:T:Gacceptor_loss1.0000
1:182384729:G:GCacceptor_gain1.0000
1:182385348:GGTAC:Gdonor_loss1.0000
1:182385349:GTAC:Gdonor_loss1.0000
1:182385350:TAC:Tdonor_loss1.0000
1:182385351:AC:Adonor_loss1.0000
1:182385352:CT:Cdonor_loss1.0000
1:182385353:TCA:Tdonor_loss1.0000
1:182385354:CACTT:Cdonor_loss1.0000
1:182385355:A:ACdonor_gain1.0000
1:182385356:C:CAdonor_gain1.0000
1:182385356:C:Gdonor_loss1.0000
1:182385356:CT:Cdonor_gain1.0000
1:182385356:CTT:Cdonor_gain1.0000
1:182385358:TCAG:Tdonor_gain1.0000
1:182385552:TCCCA:Tacceptor_gain1.0000
1:182385553:CCCA:Cacceptor_gain1.0000
1:182385553:CCCAC:Cacceptor_gain1.0000
1:182385554:CCA:Cacceptor_gain1.0000
1:182385554:CCAC:Cacceptor_gain1.0000
1:182385555:CA:Cacceptor_gain1.0000
1:182385555:CAC:Cacceptor_gain1.0000
1:182385557:C:CCacceptor_gain1.0000
1:182385755:CTTA:Cdonor_loss1.0000

AlphaMissense

0 scored. Top likely-pathogenic:

dbSNP variants (sampled 300 via entrez): RS1000190852 (1:182391224 A>G), RS1000298455 (1:182392378 G>C), RS1000655502 (1:182384806 G>A,T), RS1000868450 (1:182378941 C>T), RS1001215764 (1:182391413 G>A), RS1001245873 (1:182389180 A>C,G), RS1001302224 (1:182378586 G>A), RS1001540947 (1:182385181 T>A,C), RS1001636991 (1:182391662 G>A), RS1001697285 (1:182391484 G>A,T), RS1001905585 (1:182379758 A>T), RS1001948770 (1:182380055 C>T), RS1002073592 (1:182384760 C>T), RS1002183824 (1:182390640 G>A,T), RS1002276094 (1:182380076 G>A,C)

Disease associations

OMIM: gene MIM:138290 | disease phenotypes: MIM:610015, MIM:620806

GenCC curated gene-disease

DiseaseClassificationInheritance
congenital brain dysgenesis due to glutamine synthetase deficiencyDefinitiveAutosomal recessive
developmental and epileptic encephalopathy 116StrongAutosomal dominant

ClinGen Gene-Disease Validity (2)

Expert-panel classifications — Definitive > Strong > Moderate > Limited > Disputed > Refuted.

DiseaseClassificationInheritance
congenital brain dysgenesis due to glutamine synthetase deficiencyModerateAR
genetic developmental and epileptic encephalopathyModerateAD

Mondo (2): congenital brain dysgenesis due to glutamine synthetase deficiency (MONDO:0012393), developmental and epileptic encephalopathy 116 (MONDO:0970945)

Orphanet (1): Congenital brain dysgenesis due to glutamine synthetase deficiency (Orphanet:71278)

HPO phenotypes

48 total (30 of 48 shown, HPO-id order):

HPOTerm
HP:0000006Autosomal dominant inheritance
HP:0000007Autosomal recessive inheritance
HP:0000233Thin vermilion border
HP:0000369Low-set ears
HP:0000431Wide nasal bridge
HP:0000463Anteverted nares
HP:0001250Seizure
HP:0001252Hypotonia
HP:0001290Generalized hypotonia
HP:0001298Encephalopathy
HP:0001371Flexion contracture
HP:0001662Bradycardia
HP:0001987Hyperammonemia
HP:0002069Bilateral tonic-clonic seizure
HP:0002079Hypoplasia of the corpus callosum
HP:0002104Apnea
HP:0002121Generalized non-motor (absence) seizure
HP:0002197Generalized-onset seizure
HP:0002205Recurrent respiratory infections
HP:0002266Focal clonic seizure
HP:0002395Lower limb hyperreflexia
HP:0002416Subependymal cysts
HP:0002643Neonatal respiratory distress
HP:0002983Micromelia
HP:0003196Short nose
HP:0003429CNS hypomyelination
HP:0003593Infantile onset
HP:0003811Neonatal death
HP:0005280Depressed nasal bridge
HP:0006956Lateral ventricle dilatation

GWAS associations

50 associations (top):

StudyTraitp-value
GCST002153_1Cardiovascular heart disease in diabetics2.000000e-08
GCST007565_115Morning person2.000000e-25
GCST007565_144Morning person3.000000e-16
GCST010242_213HDL cholesterol levels7.000000e-09
GCST010796_2274Electrocardiogram morphology (amplitude at temporal datapoints)4.000000e-08
GCST010796_2275Electrocardiogram morphology (amplitude at temporal datapoints)3.000000e-08
GCST010796_2276Electrocardiogram morphology (amplitude at temporal datapoints)2.000000e-08
GCST010796_2277Electrocardiogram morphology (amplitude at temporal datapoints)5.000000e-09
GCST010796_2278Electrocardiogram morphology (amplitude at temporal datapoints)4.000000e-09
GCST010796_2279Electrocardiogram morphology (amplitude at temporal datapoints)1.000000e-09
GCST010796_2280Electrocardiogram morphology (amplitude at temporal datapoints)8.000000e-10
GCST010796_2281Electrocardiogram morphology (amplitude at temporal datapoints)3.000000e-10
GCST010796_2282Electrocardiogram morphology (amplitude at temporal datapoints)8.000000e-10
GCST010796_2283Electrocardiogram morphology (amplitude at temporal datapoints)4.000000e-09
GCST010796_2284Electrocardiogram morphology (amplitude at temporal datapoints)3.000000e-09
GCST010796_2285Electrocardiogram morphology (amplitude at temporal datapoints)7.000000e-10
GCST010796_2286Electrocardiogram morphology (amplitude at temporal datapoints)2.000000e-09
GCST010796_2287Electrocardiogram morphology (amplitude at temporal datapoints)4.000000e-09
GCST010796_2288Electrocardiogram morphology (amplitude at temporal datapoints)4.000000e-09
GCST010796_2289Electrocardiogram morphology (amplitude at temporal datapoints)3.000000e-08
GCST010796_2290Electrocardiogram morphology (amplitude at temporal datapoints)4.000000e-08
GCST010796_2291Electrocardiogram morphology (amplitude at temporal datapoints)5.000000e-11
GCST010796_2292Electrocardiogram morphology (amplitude at temporal datapoints)4.000000e-13
GCST010796_2293Electrocardiogram morphology (amplitude at temporal datapoints)4.000000e-11
GCST010796_2294Electrocardiogram morphology (amplitude at temporal datapoints)1.000000e-08
GCST010796_2295Electrocardiogram morphology (amplitude at temporal datapoints)2.000000e-09
GCST010796_2296Electrocardiogram morphology (amplitude at temporal datapoints)3.000000e-10
GCST010796_2297Electrocardiogram morphology (amplitude at temporal datapoints)2.000000e-09
GCST010796_2298Electrocardiogram morphology (amplitude at temporal datapoints)2.000000e-10
GCST010796_2299Electrocardiogram morphology (amplitude at temporal datapoints)9.000000e-13

EFO canonical traits (3, from GWAS)

EFO IDTrait name
EFO:0008328chronotype measurement
EFO:0004612high density lipoprotein cholesterol measurement
EFO:0004327electrocardiography

MeSH disease descriptors (1)

DescriptorNameTree numbers
C536832Glutamine deficiency, congenital (supp.)

Drugs & pharmacology

Drug and pharmacology data

Is drug target: yes

ChEMBL targets (1): CHEMBL4612 (SINGLE PROTEIN)

Molecules with ChEMBL bioactivity

1 molecules (phase ≥1), by development phase (incl. off-target/promiscuous compounds). Patent mentions across the top 20 by phase: 140,604 (via chembl_molecule»patent_compound — counts attach to the compound, not the gene–compound relationship, so off-target/promiscuous molecules can dominate).

MoleculeNamePhasePatents
CHEMBL131PREDNISOLONE4140,604

PharmGKB: 1 entry (VIP=true, CPIC=false)

Binding affinities (BindingDB)

6 measured of 6 human assays (6 total across all organisms); most potent 6 below. Values come from heterogeneous assays and are not directly comparable.

LigandMeasureValue
Phosphinothricin analog, 1 (L Isomer)KI0.22 nM
Phosphinothricin analog, 4 (D,L Isomer)KI0.47 nM
Phosphinothricin analog, 6 (D,L Isomer)KI5 nM
Phosphinothricin analog, 3 (L Isomer)KI45 nM
Phosphinothricin analog, 2 (D,L mixture)KI140 nM
Phosphinothricin analog, 5 (D,L Isomer)KI310 nM

ChEMBL bioactivities

9 potent at pChembl≥5 of 10 total, top 9 by pChembl (potency: 10 = 0.1 nM, 6 = 1 µM).

pChemblTypeValueUnitMolecule
7.85EC5014.2nMCHEMBL310570
7.50EC5032nMPREDNISOLONE
7.42EC5037.7nMCHEMBL83110
7.27EC5053.7nMCHEMBL82546
7.18EC5066nMCHEMBL309243
7.18EC5066nMCHEMBL312399
6.89EC50129.2nMCHEMBL311662
6.74EC50181.6nMCHEMBL312041
6.07Ki850nMCHEMBL3142429

PubChem BioAssay actives

9 with measured affinity, of 118 total; 9 most potent distinct compounds. Largely complementary to BindingDB; screening values are coarse (µM, 4 dp), so sub-nM hits tie at the floor.

CompoundAssayTypeValueUnit
(1S)-1-[(4aR,5S)-1-(4-fluorophenyl)-4a-methyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-4H-benzo[f]indazol-5-yl]-1-thiophen-3-ylethanol74963: Ability to induce human glutamine synthetase in skeletal muscle cellsec500.0142uM
Prednisolone74963: Ability to induce human glutamine synthetase in skeletal muscle cellsec500.0320uM
(R)-[(4aR,5S)-1-(4-fluorophenyl)-4a-methyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-4H-benzo[f]indazol-5-yl]-(4-fluoro-3-methylphenyl)methanol74963: Ability to induce human glutamine synthetase in skeletal muscle cellsec500.0377uM
(1S)-1-[(4aR,5S)-1-(4-fluorophenyl)-4a-methyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-4H-benzo[f]indazol-5-yl]-2-(4-fluorophenyl)ethanol74963: Ability to induce human glutamine synthetase in skeletal muscle cellsec500.0537uM
(1S)-1-[(4aR,5S)-1-(4-fluorophenyl)-4a-methyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-4H-benzo[f]indazol-5-yl]but-3-en-1-ol74963: Ability to induce human glutamine synthetase in skeletal muscle cellsec500.0660uM
(1S)-1-[(4aR,5S)-1-(4-fluorophenyl)-4a-methyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-4H-benzo[f]indazol-5-yl]-3-cyclopropylpropan-1-ol74963: Ability to induce human glutamine synthetase in skeletal muscle cellsec500.0660uM
(1S)-1-[(4aR,5S)-1-(4-fluorophenyl)-4a-methyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-4H-benzo[f]indazol-5-yl]-1-(4-fluorophenyl)ethanol74963: Ability to induce human glutamine synthetase in skeletal muscle cellsec500.1292uM
2-[(4aR,5S)-1-(4-fluorophenyl)-4a-methyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-4H-benzo[f]indazol-5-yl]propan-2-ol74963: Ability to induce human glutamine synthetase in skeletal muscle cellsec500.1816uM
tert-butyl N-[(2S)-1-[[(2S)-1-[[(2S,3S,5R)-1-cyclohexyl-3-hydroxy-7-methyl-5-(methylcarbamoyl)octan-2-yl]amino]-3-(1H-imidazol-5-yl)-1-oxopropan-2-yl]amino]-1-oxo-3-phenylpropan-2-yl]carbamate75127: Compound was tested for binding affinity against Glutamine synthetaseki0.8500uM

CTD chemical–gene interactions

106 total (human), top 30 by PubMed support.

ChemicalActions (top 5)PubMed papers
Benzo(a)pyrenedecreases expression, decreases methylation, increases expression4
Tobacco Smoke Pollutiondecreases expression, increases expression, affects expression4
Tretinoinincreases expression, decreases expression, affects cotreatment4
Air Pollutantsincreases abundance, increases oxidation, affects expression, decreases expression, affects cotreatment3
Cyclosporinedecreases expression3
bisphenol Aincreases methylation, increases expression2
trichostatin Aaffects cotreatment, increases expression2
sodium arseniteincreases expression, decreases expression, increases abundance2
4-(5-benzo(1,3)dioxol-5-yl-4-pyridin-2-yl-1H-imidazol-2-yl)benzamideaffects cotreatment, increases expression2
Arsenic Trioxideaffects binding, decreases reaction, increases expression, affects cotreatment2
Acetaminophendecreases expression2
Copperaffects binding, decreases expression, increases expression2
Dexamethasoneincreases expression, affects cotreatment2
Doxorubicindecreases expression, increases expression, affects reaction2
Estradiolaffects cotreatment, decreases expression, increases expression2
Indomethacindecreases expression, affects cotreatment, increases expression2
Nickelincreases expression2
Ozoneaffects cotreatment, increases oxidation, increases abundance, affects expression2
Silicon Dioxidedecreases expression2
Valproic Acidaffects expression, increases expression2
aristolochic acid Iincreases expression1
bisphenol Fincreases expression1
sotorasibdecreases expression, affects cotreatment1
4-oxoretinoic acidincreases expression1
bufotalindecreases expression1
methyleugenoldecreases expression1
triphenyl phosphateaffects expression1
alpha-pineneincreases oxidation, increases abundance, affects cotreatment1
uranyl acetateaffects expression1
lead acetatedecreases expression1

ChEMBL screening assays

45 unique, capped per target: 45 binding

Representative assays (with source publication via chembl_document):

Assay IDTypeDescriptionSource paper
CHEMBL682550BindingTested for the inhibition of Glutamine synthetase (Escherichia coli) activity using biosynthetic assay [50 nM Hepes (pH 7), 5 mM MgCl2] at a concentration of 0.1 mMDesign and synthesis of phosphonate inhibitors of glutamine synthetase. — J Med Chem

Cellosaurus cell lines

11 cell lines: 9 cancer cell line, 2 transformed cell line

First 10 cell lines (id-ordered, not curated):

CellosaurusNameCategorySex
CVCL_8560HepG2-GS-CYP3A4Cancer cell lineMale
CVCL_D1MVAbcam K-562 GLUL KOCancer cell lineFemale
CVCL_D1STAbcam U-87MG GLUL KOCancer cell lineMale
CVCL_D2JFAbcam Raji GLUL KOCancer cell lineMale
CVCL_E0UBUbigene Hep G2 GLUL KOCancer cell lineMale
CVCL_E3KDHEK293SF-3F6 GLUL KOTransformed cell lineFemale
CVCL_H214HepG2-GSCancer cell lineMale
CVCL_JZ97HEK293_GS-KOTransformed cell lineFemale
CVCL_SQ11HAP1 GLUL (-) 1Cancer cell lineMale
CVCL_UQ62Abcam Jurkat GLUL KOCancer cell lineMale

Clinical trials (associated diseases)

0 trials via MONDO — disease-level, not drug-specific.