Biological Nitrogen Fixation, Sustainable Agriculture and the Environment

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xxiv

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2. In Memory of Professor Lu Jiaxi

   • Wu Xintao

   Pages 3-6

3. A Life Affair with Rhizobia — In Memory of Professor Chen Huakui, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences

   • Li Fu-Di

   Pages 7-10

4. Keynote Address

   1. Sustainable Agriculture/Forestry and Biological Nitrogen Fixation

      • Dietrich Werner, Suresh K. Mahna, Vertica Mahobia, B. N. Prasad, Jose M. Barea, Heidemarie Thierfelder et al.

      Pages 13-17

5. Nitrogenase: The Origin, the Enzymes, and the Chemistry

   1. On the Origin and Evolution of NIF Genes

      • Renato Fani

      Pages 21-24

   2. Recent Progress in the Biochemistry of Mo-Nitrogenase

      • William E. Newton

      Pages 25-28

   3. MgATP Binding and Hydrolysis in Nitrogenase Catalysis

      • Sanchayita Sen, John W. Peters

      Pages 29-33

   4. Structural Modeling and Chemical Simulation of the Femoco Active Center of Nitrogenase

      • Du Shaowu, Liu Qiutian, Kang Beisheng, Chen Changren, Cao Rong

      Pages 35-38

   5. A Non-Metal System for Nitrogen Fixation Utilizing Buckminsterfullerene

      • Yoshiaki Nishibayashi, Sakae Uemura, Shin-ichi Takekuma, Zen-ichi Yoshida

      Pages 39-40

   6. Chemical Simulation of the Molybdenum Coordination Mode in the FeMo Cofactor by a Series of Molybdenum- or Tungsten-Polycarboxylate Complexes with Sulfide Bridges

      • Dong-Mei Li, Ji-Qing Xu, Yong-Heng Xing, Ying-Jie Lin, Xiao-Hua Zhou

      Pages 41-42

   7. Activation of Homocitrate Ligand of Femo-Cofactor as Mimicked by the Coordination of Homocitrato and its Homologues

      • Zhou Z Hui, Hou S Ya, Cao Z Xing, Deng Y Fu, Wan H Lin, Tsai K Rui

      Pages 43-45

   8. Poster Summaries

      • Dehua Zhao, Feng Guan, Miao Pan, Jilun Li, Hui-Na Zhou, Ying Zhao et al.

      Pages 46-49

6. Genetics and Regulation in Heterotrophs and Photosynthetic Bacteria

   1. Genetic Regulation of Nitrogen Fixation: Integration of Multiple Signals

      • Richard Little, Isabel Martinez-Argudo, Neil Shearer, Philip Johnson, Ray Dixon

      Pages 53-57

   2. The Structural Basis for nif Gene Activation

      • Wigneshweraraj S R, Burrows P C, Bordes P, Schumacher J, Rappas M, Finn R D et al.

      Pages 59-63

   3. Heterocyst Differentiation and Nitrogen Fixation in Anabaena

      • Robert Haselkorn

      Pages 65-68

   4. Signal Transduction in Heterocyst Differentiation of the Cyanobacterium Anabaena Sp. PCC 7120

      • Yinhong Zhao, Yunming Shi, Guohua Yang, Ying Zhang, Xu Huang, Jindong Zhao

      Pages 69-72

   5. PII Signal Transduction in Cyanobacteria: Novel Mechanisms of Global Nitrogen Control

      • Karl Forchhammer, Annette Heinrich, Nicole Kloft, Mani Maheswaran, Ulrike Ruppert

      Pages 73-75

   6. Molecular Signal of Nitrogen Starvation, Insight from the Cyanobacterium Anabaena PCC 7120

      • Cheng-Cai Zhang, Sophie Laurent, Sylvie Bédu

      Pages 77-78

   7. Electron Transport to Nitrogenase in Rhodospirillum rubrum

      • Tomas Edgren, Stefan Nordlund

      Pages 79-82

   8. Regulation of Nitrogen Fixation in the Photosynthetic Bacterium Rhodospirillum Rubrum: Roles of GlnD and P_II Proteins

      • Yaoping Zhang, Edward L. Pohlmann, Gary P. Roberts

      Pages 83-86

The 14th International Nitrogen Fixation Congress was held in Beijing, China from October 27th through November 1st, 2004. This volume constitutes the proceedings of the Congress and represents a compilation of the presentations by scientists from more than 30 countries around the World who came to Beijing to discuss the progress made since the last Congress and to exchange ideas and information. This year marked the 30th anniversary of the first Congress held in Pullman, Washington, USA, in 1974. Since then, this series of Congresses has met five times in North America (three in the United States and once each in Canada and Mexico), once in South America (Brazil), four times in Western Europe (once each in Spain, The Netherlands, Germany and France), once in Eastern Europe (Russia), and once in Australia; and now for the first time in Asia. China was a most appropriate choice because China is a big country with the largest population in the World, about 1. 3 billion people, which is about 22% of the World’s population. It is traditionally an agricultural country, even though China has only 7% of the available farming land. This situation explains why agriculture and its productivity are major issues for the Chinese people, its government and the scientists in the field.

• biochemistry
• enzymes
• evolution
• genetics
• nitrogen
• physiology
• regulation

• College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China

  Yi-Ping Wang, Zhe-Xian Tian

• Institute of Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China

  Min Lin

• Institut des Sciences du Végétal, CNRS-UPR2355, Gif-sur-Yvette and Institute Pasteur, Paris, France

  Claudine Elmerich

• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, USA

  William E. Newton

Policies and ethics