Academic literature on the topic 'Transition metals; Hydroxylases; Proteins'

The widespread practices of viniculture (the study of production of grapes for wine) and oenology (the study of winemaking) affirm the generalization that grapevines have fewer problems with mineral deficiency than many other crops. Only occasionally is the addition of iron (Fe), phosphorus (P), magnesium (Mg), and manganese (Mn) supplements to the soil needed. Addition of potassium (K), zinc (Zn), and boron (B) to the soil is more common. And, of course, nitrogen (N) is critical for the production of proteins. Over the years, various transition metals (metals in groups three through twelve [3– 12] of the periodic table, Appendix 1) have been shown to be generally important. These groups include iron (Fe), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu). Many metals are bound to organic molecules that are important for life. Some of the metals, such as copper (Cu) and iron (Fe), are important in electron transport while others, including manganese (Mn) and iron (Fe), inhibit reactive oxygen (O) species (ROSs) that can destroy cells. Metals serve both to cause some reactions to speed up, called positive catalysis while caus¬ing others (e.g., unwanted oxidation) to slow down (negative catalysis). It is not uncommon to add nitrogen (N), in the form of ammonium salts such as ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3), as fertilizer to the soil in which the vines are growing. It is also common to increase the nitrogen (N) content in the soil by planting legumes (legumes have roots that are frequently colonized by nitrogen-fixing bacteria). Nitrogen- fixing bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen (N2), which plants cannot use, to forms, such as ammonia (NH3) or its equivalent, capable of absorption by plants. Nitrogen, used in plant proteins, tends to remain in the soil after harvest or decomposition. With sufficient nitrogen present in the soil the growth cycle can begin again in the following season without adding too much fertilizer. In a more general sense, however, it is clear (as mentioned earlier) that the soil must be capable of good drainage so the sub-soil parts of the plant do not rot and it must be loose enough to permit oxygen to be available to the growing roots.

Fluorescence spectrometry is the most extensively used optical spectroscopic method in analytical measurement and scientific investigation. During the past five years more than 60000 scientific articles have been published in which fluorescence spectroscopy has been used. The large number of applications ranges from the analytical determination of trace metals in the environment to pH measurements in whole cells under physiological conditions. In the scientific research laboratory, fluorescence spectroscopy is being used or applied to study the fundamental physical processes of molecules; structure-function relationships and interactions of biomolecules such as proteins and nucleic acids; structures and activity within whole cells using such instrumentation as confocal microscopy; and DNA sequencing in genomic characterization. In analytical applications the use of fluorescence is dominant in clinical laboratories where fluorescence immunoassays have largely replaced radioimmunoassay techniques. There are two main reasons for this extensive use of fluorescence spectroscopy. Foremost is the high level of sensitivity and wide dynamic range that can be achieved. There are a large number of laboratories that have reported single molecule detection. Secondly, the instrumentation required is convenient and for most purposes can be purchased at a modest cost. While improvements and advances continue to be reported fluorescence instrumentation has reached a high level of maturity. A review of the physical principles of the fluorescence phenomenon permits one to understand the origins of the information content that fluorescence measurements can provide. A molecule absorbs electromagnetic radiation through a quantum mechanical process where the molecule is transformed from a ‘ground’ state to an ‘excited’ state. The energy of the absorbed photon of light corresponds to the energy difference between these two states. In the case of light in the ultraviolet and visible spectral range of 200 nm to 800 nm that corresponds to energies of 143 to 35.8 kcal mol-1. The absorption of light results in an electronic transition in the atom or molecule. In atoms this involves the promotion of an electron from an outer shell orbital to an empty orbital of higher energy.