The Biological Use of Stable Nickel Isotopes

Dear Colleagues,

The biological use of stable nickel isotopes ranges from determining the onset of life on Earth to investigating human nickel metabolism. Nickel is an essential trace nutrient in plants, animals, humans, and most prokaryotes, usually playing a role as a cofactor in enzymes. It has long been considered to be only a toxin to humans; however, nickel is now thought to be somehow involved in protein structure or function and the breakdown or utilization of glucose. Recently, nickel has also attracted interest because of its essential putative role in the earliest forms of life on early Earth. The use of stable nickel isotopes may, therefore, be of crucial importance to a comprehensive understanding of the onset of life on Earth. Biological processes are also likely to be associated with the circulation of nickel in natural environments, where it is strongly coupled to the global carbon cycle. In this Special Issue on the biological use of stable nickel isotopes, we invite the submission of original research or review articles on all aspects of nickel isotopes that can increase our understanding of ancient and recent metabolism in all three domains of life. We hope to fill knowledge gaps on the function of nickel in humans and to understand its role in the first life forms on Earth.

Dr. Anna Neubeck
Guest Editor

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