Premium
Dinoflagellate bioluminescence: A comparative study of invitro components
Author(s) -
Schmitter Ruth E.,
Njus David,
Sulzman Frank M.,
Gooch Van D.,
Hastings J. W.
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
journal of cellular physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.529
H-Index - 174
eISSN - 1097-4652
pISSN - 0021-9541
DOI - 10.1002/jcp.1040870115
Subject(s) - bioluminescence , dinoflagellate , in vitro , chemistry , biology , computational biology , biochemistry , ecology
Abstract In vitro bioluminescence components of the dinoflagellates Gonyaulax polyedra, G. tamarensis, Dissodinium lunula , and Pyrocystis noctiluca were studied. The luciferases and luciferins of the four species cross‐react in all combinations. All of these species possess high‐molecular weight luciferases (200,000–400,000 daltons) with similar pH activity profiles. The active single chains of luciferases from the Gonyaulax species have a MW of 130,000 while those from P. noctiluca and D. lunula have a MW of 60,000. Extractable luciferase activity varies with time of day in the two Gonyaulax species, but not in the other two. A luciferin binding protein (LBP) can easily be extracted from the two Gonyaulax species (MW ˜ 120,000 daltons), but none could be detected in extracts of either D. lunula or P. noctiluca . Scintillons are extractable from all four species, but they vary in density and the degree to which activity can be increased by added luciferin. Although the biochemistry of bioluminescence in these dinoflagellates is generally similar, the observations that D. lunula and P. noctiluca apparently lack LBP and have luciferases with low MW single chains require further clarification.