Nitrosylation



Nitrosylation is the general term for covalent incorporation of a nitric oxide (NO) moiety into another (usually organic) molecule. There are multiple chemical mechanisms by which this can be achieved, including enzymes and chemical synthesis. The biological functions of nitric oxide include S-nitrosylation, the conjugation of NO to cysteine thiols in proteins, which is an important part of cell signalling. Coordination of NO to transition metals to give metal nitrosyl complexes is also referred to as nitrosylation.