Nitrogen Fixation: From Molecules to Crop Productivity

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xxvi

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2. Keynote Lecture

   1. Nitrogen Fixation in Perspective

      • William E. Newton

      Pages 3-8

3. Biochemistry and Chemistry

   1. Chemistry and Biochemistry of Nitrogenase

      • Barry E. Smith

      Pages 11-12

   2. The Mechanism of Molybdenum Nitrogenase: An Overview

      • Barbara K. Burgess

      Pages 13-18

   3. Roles for Nucleotides in Nitrogenase Catalysis

      • L. C. Seefeldt, J. M. Chan, W. Wu, J. E. Huyett

      Pages 19-22

   4. Superoxide-Dependent Nitrogen Fixation

      • Carla Hofmann-Findeklee, Dilip Gadkari, Ortwin Meyer

      Pages 23-30

   5. Chemistry and Biochemistry of Nitrogenase (Part 1)

      • R. N. F. Thorneley, D. R. Dean

      Pages 31-32

   6. A 1.6A Resolution X-Ray Crystallographic Study of Klebsiella Pneumoniae MoFe Protein, Kp1

      • S. M. Mayer, D. M. Lawson, C. A. Gormal, S. M. Roe, B. E. Smith

      Pages 33-34

   7. Roles of VnfX and NifX in FeV-Co and FeMo-Co Synthesis in Azotobacter Vinelandii

      • C. Rüttimann-Johnson, P. Rangaraj, C. R. Staples, V. K. Shah, P. W. Ludden

      Pages 35-36

   8. Studies on the Mechanism for the Activation of Iron and Sulfur for Formation of the Nitrogenase Metal Centers

      • Dennis R. Dean, Pramvadee Yuvaniyama, Jeff N. Agar, Michael K. Johnson

      Pages 37-38

   9. Stopped-Flow Infra-Red Spectroscopy of Carbon Monoxide Binding to Functioning Nitrogenase

      • R. N. F. Thorneley, G. A. Ashby, S. J. George

      Pages 39-40

   10. Reductant-Dependant ATP Utilization During Nitrogenase Catalysis: Studies Using Ti(III)

       • Andrew C. Nyborg, J. Alan Erickson, Joseph L. Johnson, Gerald D. Watt

       Pages 41-42

   11. Cofactor Reactivity and Models for Cofactor Reactions

       • G. J. Leigh, R. L. Richards

       Pages 43-44

   12. Interactions of Small Molecules with Isolated Femoco

       • C. J. Pickett, Steven P. Best, Thierry LeGalll, C. A. Gormall, S. K. Ibrahim, B. E. Smith et al.

       Pages 45-46

   13. Catalytic Reactions with Femoco in Non-Enzymatic Surroundings (Comparison with Synthetic Catalysts)

       • A. E. Shilov

       Pages 47-48

   14. Catalytic Behavior of Isolated FeMo-Cofactor of Nitrogenase in Non-Protein Surroundings

       • T. A. Bazhenova, M. A. Bazhenova, G. N. Petrova, A. E. Shilov

       Pages 49-50

   15. Chemical Nitrogen Fixation: Protonation of Coordinated Dinitrogen with Coordinated Dihydrogen or Bridging Hydrosulfido Ligands

       • Masanobu Hidai

       Pages 51-52

   16. Mo, V and Fe Complexes of Tripodal Sulfur-Donor Ligands as Models for Nitrogenase Active Sites

       • Sian C. Davies, David L. Hughes, Raymond L. Richards, J. Roger Sanders

       Pages 53-54

   17. The Use of Chemical Models to Probe the Mechanisms of Substrate Reduction Reactions of Nitrogenases

       • C. A. Helleren, C. N. Mc Mahon, G. J. Leigh

       Pages 55-56

   18. Nitrogenase Reactivity Using Ti(III) as Reductant

       • Andrew C. Nyborg, Joseph L. Johnson, Alex Gunn, Gerald D. Watt

       Pages 57-57

The 12th International Congress on Nitrogen Fixation was held in Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná State, Brazil, from the 12th to 17th of September, 1999. This volume constitutes the proceedings of this Congress and represents a compilation of the presentations by scientists from 38 countries who came to discuss the progress made, to exchange views and to collaborate. Since the first meeting in Pullman, Washington, USA, in 1974, this series of Congresses has been held three times in the United States, four times in Western Europe, in Australia, Mexico and Russia, and now for the first time in South America. Brazil was a most appropriate choice because Brazilian agriculture is especially dependent on biological nitrogenfixation. An important example is the soybean crop. The 30 million metric tons of grain produced each year relies solely on symbiotic nitrogen fixation. N-fertilizers are expensive in Brazil and, in the absence of the biological process, this crop would require 4-5 M tonnes of N at an annual cost of almost 1 billion dollars. Crop rotation, soil reclamation, forestry, forage mixed cropping, intercropping with grasses and legumes, associative nitrogen fixation with non-legume crops, such as sugarcane, and other agricultural practices in Brazil are also dependent on biological nitrogen fixation. The Brazilian experience with biological nitrogen fixation is a paradigm to be followed by all countries where nitrogen fertiliser is expensive or where present day environmental concerns demand a feasible, efficient and inexpensive alternative to chemical N-fertilizers.

• ATP
• Assimilat
• Expression
• Glutamin
• Nucleotide
• Proteobacteria
• biochemistry
• gene expression
• metabolism
• microbe
• nitrogen
• proteins
• reductase
• transcription

• Departamento de Bioquímica, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil

  Fabio O. Pedrosa, Geoffrey Yates

• Embrapa Soja, Londrina, PR, Brazil

  Mariangela Hungria

• Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, USA

  William E. Newton

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