title: The emerging molecular structure of the nitrogen cycle: an introduction to the proceedings of the 10th annual N-cycle meeting.
abstract: Over the last 10 years, during the lifetime of the nitrogen cycle meetings, structural biology, coupled with spectroscopy, has had a major impact of our understanding enzymology of the nitrogen cycle. The three-dimensional structures for many of the key enzymes have now been resolved and have provided a wealth of information regarding the architecture of redox active metal sites, as well as revealing novel structural folds. Coupled with structure-based spectroscopic analysis, this has led to new insight into the reaction mechanisms of the diverse chemical transformations that together cycle nitrogen in the biosphere. An overview of the some of the key developments in field over the last decade is presented.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, UK. c.s.butler@ncl.ac.uk
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Butler
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Richardson
mesh_terms: D050901:Nitrate Reductase; D009565:Nitrate Reductases / Q000378:metabolism; D009572:Nitrite Reductases / Q000378:metabolism; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D009591:Nitrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000378:metabolism; D019897:Periplasm / Q000201:enzymology
chemical_list: D010088:Oxidoreductases; D009591:Nitrogenase; D009565:Nitrate Reductases; D009572:Nitrite Reductases; C022763:nitrous oxide reductase; C021401:hydroxylamine dehydrogenase; D050901:Nitrate Reductase; D009584:Nitrogen