This volume on iron-sulfur proteins includes chapters that describe the initial discovery of iron-sulfur proteins in the 1960s to elucidation of the roles of iron sulfur clusters as prosthetic groups of enzymes, such as the citric acid cycle enzyme, aconitase, and numerous other proteins, ranging from nitrogenase to DNA repair proteins. The capacity of iron sulfur clusters to accept and delocalize single electrons is explained by basic chemical principles, which illustrate why iron sulfur proteins are uniquely suitable for electron transport and other activities. Techniques used for detection and stabilization of iron-sulfur clusters, including EPR and Mossbauer spectroscopies, are discussed because they are important for characterizing unrecognized and elusive iron sulfur proteins. Recent insights into how nitrogenase works have arisen from multiple advances, described here, including studies of high-resolution crystal structures. Numerous chapters discuss how microbes, plants, and animals synthesize these complex prosthetic groups, and why it is important to understand the chemistry and biogenesis of iron sulfur proteins. In addition to their vital importance in mitochondrial respiration, numerous iron sulfur proteins are important in maintenance of DNA integrity. Multiple rare human diseases with different clinical presentations are caused by mutations of genes in the iron sulfur cluster biogenesis pathway. Understanding iron sulfur proteins is important for understanding a rapidly expanding group of metabolic pathways important in all kingdoms of life, and for understanding processes ranging from nitrogen fixation to human disease.

The critically acclaimed laboratory standard for more than forty years, Methods in Enzymologyis one of the most highly respected publications in the field of biochemistry. Since 1955, each volume has been eagerly awaited, frequently consulted, and praised by researchers and reviewers alike. Now with more than 300 volumes (all of them still in print), the series contains much material still relevant today--truly an essential publication for researchers in all fields of life sciences.
This volume and its companions (Volumes 330 and 334) cover all current knowledge concerning hyperthermophilic enzymes. Major topics in this volume include the enzymes of central metabolism and respiratory enzymes.