  We present a density functional theory analysis of the negatively charged
nitrogen-vacancy (NV) defect complex located at or close to the core of
30$^\circ$ and 90$^\circ$ partial glide dislocations in diamond. Formation
energies, electronic densities of states, structural deformations, hyperfine
structure and zero-field splitting parameters of NV centers in such
structurally distorted environments are analyzed. The formation energies of the
NV centers are up to 3 eV lower at the dislocation cores compared to the bulk
values of crystalline diamond. We found that the lowest energy configuration of
the NV center at the core of a 30$^\circ$ partial glide dislocation is realized
when the axis of the NV center is oriented parallel to the dislocation line.
This special configuration has a stable triplet ground state. Its hyperfine
constants and zero field splitting parameters deviate by only 3% from values of
the bulk NV center. Hence, this is an interesting candidate for a self-assembly
of a linear array of NV centers along the dislocation line.
