Luciferase
Luciferase is any enzyme that can be used in nature for bioluminescence, or the production of light generated from a living creature. The name is derived from Lucifer, the root of which means light-bearer (lucem ferre).
The most well-known use of luciferase is found in the firefly. In the firefly and other bioluminescent creatures, light is produced by the oxidation of a luciferin pigment. The intensity of this interaction is strengthened by the involvement of ATP. The rate of reaction of luciferin with oxygen is quite slow until luciferase stimulates or catalyzes it, sometimes with the help of calcium ions; this action is similar to the energy used to stimulate muscle contraction.
Almost all the energy put into the luciferase reaction is transformed into light. This is remarkably energy efficient; humans have very little to match it.
Besides the firefly, the Jack-O-Lantern mushroom, the glowworm, the click beetle, and a wide variety of sea creatures (especially from the deep seas) use a form of luciferase to produce bioluminescence. Some can produce different colors of bioluminescence as well. Luciferase can be produced in the lab via genetic engineering, and is used for tracking and visualization of different biological processes. Currently, mice, silkworms, and potatoes have been bioengineered to bioluminesce in this way.
Web Resources On Luciferase
Luciferase
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution
Book Resources On LuciferaseThe measurement of luciferin and luciferase by Aurin M. Chase
Mechanistic studies on lysine [epsilon]-aminotransaminase and bacterial luciferase by Patrick Thomas Shannon
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