Luciferin

From Free net encyclopedia

Luciferin is a generic name for light-emitting pigments found in organisms capable of bioluminescence, like fireflies, deep-sea fish and microbes.

Luciferin is oxidized in the presence of the enzyme luciferase to produce oxyluciferin and energy in the form of light. There are five general types of luciferins.

Contents 1 Luciferins (different from the enzyme luciferase) 1.1 Firefly luciferin 1.2 Bacterial luciferin 1.3 Dinoflagellate luciferin 1.4 Vargulin 1.5 Coelenterazine 2 External links

Luciferins (different from the enzyme luciferase)

Firefly luciferin

Image:Fireflyluciferin.png Firefly luciferin is the luciferin found in fireflies. It is the substrate of luciferin luciferase (EC 1.13.12.7)

Bacterial luciferin

Bacterial luciferin is a type of luciferin found in bacteria, some squids and fishes. It consists of a long-chain aldehyde and a reduced riboflavin phosphate.

Dinoflagellate luciferin

Dinoflagellate luciferin is a chlorophyll derivative and is found in dinoflagellates (a type of marine plankton), and a very similar type is found in some types of euphausiid shrimp.

Vargulin

Vargulin is found in ostracods and Poricthys. It is an imidazolopyrazine.

Coelenterazine

Image:Coelenterazine.png Coelenterazine is found in radiolarians, ctenophores, cnidarians, squid, copepods, chaetognaths, fish and shrimp. It is the light-emitting molecule in the protein aequorin.

External links

• Major Luciferin typesde:Luciferin

eo:Luciferino fr:Luciférine nl:Luciferine pl:Lucyferyn pt:Luciferina