Nitrosylation is the general term for covalent incorporation of a

nitric oxide Nitric oxide (nitrogen oxide or nitrogen monoxide) is a colorless gas with the formula . It is one of the principal oxides of nitrogen. Nitric oxide is a free radical: it has an unpaired electron, which is sometimes denoted by a dot in its ...

"nitrosyl" moiety into another (usually organic) molecule. There are multiple chemical mechanisms by which this can be achieved; including biological enzymes and industrial processes. The biological functions of nitrosylation are particularly important as ''S''-nitrosylation, the conjugation of NO to

cysteine Cysteine (symbol Cys or C; ) is a semiessential proteinogenic amino acid with the formula . The thiol side chain in cysteine often participates in enzymatic reactions as a nucleophile. When present as a deprotonated catalytic residue, some ...

thiols in proteins, is an important part of

cell signalling In biology, cell signaling (cell signalling in British English) or cell communication is the ability of a cell to receive, process, and transmit signals with its environment and with itself. Cell signaling is a fundamental property of all cellular ...

. Coordination of NO to transition metals to give metal nitrosyl complexes, is also referred to as nitrosylation.

References

Chemical reactions Nitrogen cycle {{Chemistry-stub

See also

References