Glutathione synthetase catalyses the ligation of glycine to gamma-L-glutamyl-L-cysteine (gamma-Glu-Cys) with concomitant hydrolysis of ATP. This is the second and final step in the synthesis of glutathione. Glutathione has many important functions in the cell, including protection against oxidative damage, detoxification of harmful substances, and as a coenzyme for several reactions. Glutathione synthetase is present in species ranging from bacteria to mammals. This entry represents the glutathione synthetases found in Gram-negative bacteria. This gene does not appear to be present in genomes of Gram-positive bacteria.
Defined by 8 residues: LYS:A-125LYS:A-160ARG:A-210ARG:A-225ARG:A-233ASP:A-273GLU:A-281ASN:A-283