Premium
Stereoisomeric bio‐inversion key to biosynthesis of firefly d ‐luciferin
Author(s) -
Niwa Kazuki,
Nakamura Mitsuhiro,
Ohmiya Yoshihiro
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/j.febslet.2006.08.073
Subject(s) - luciferin , luciferase , bioluminescence , firefly protocol , photoprotein , chemistry , biochemistry , cysteine , chirality (physics) , biosynthesis , stereochemistry , enzyme , biology , zoology , transfection , chiral symmetry breaking , physics , quantum mechanics , nambu–jona lasinio model , gene , quark
The chirality of the luciferin substrate is critical to the luciferin–luciferase reaction producing bioluminescence. In firefly, the biosynthetic pathway of d ‐luciferin is still unclear, although it can be synthesized in vitro from d ‐cysteine. Here, we show that the firefly produces both d ‐ and l ‐luciferin, and that the amount of active d ‐luciferin increases gradually with maturation stage. Studies of firefly body extracts indicate the possible conversion of l ‐cysteine via l ‐luciferin into d ‐luciferin, suggesting that the biosynthesis is enzymatically regulated by stereoisomeric bio‐inversion of l ‐luciferin. We conclude that the selection of chirality in living organisms is not as rigid as previously thought.