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SPECTRAL AND TIME DEPENDENCE STUDIES OF THE ULTRA WEAK BIOLUMINESCENCE EMITTED BY THE BACTERIUM Escherichia coli
Author(s) -
Tilbury R. N.,
Quickenden T. I.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
photochemistry and photobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.818
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1751-1097
pISSN - 0031-8655
DOI - 10.1111/j.1751-1097.1988.tb02704.x
Subject(s) - luminescence , escherichia coli , excited state , chemistry , photochemistry , bioluminescence , analytical chemistry (journal) , singlet oxygen , photoluminescence , fluorescence , oxygen , materials science , chromatography , optics , atomic physics , organic chemistry , physics , biochemistry , optoelectronics , gene
— Weak luminescence was detected using photon counting equipment, from oxygenated, liquid cultures of Escherichia coli during two stages of its growth cycle. The first period of emission occurred during the exponential phase of growth and comprised a UV(210–330 nm) band and a visible region(450–620 nm) band, the total intensity being (1.65 ± 0.12) x 10 3 counts s ‐1 . The second period of emission occurred during the stationary phase of growth and comprised only a visible region(450–620 nm) band of intensity (8.72 ± 0.15) x 10 3 counts s ‐1 . When the growth temperature was raised from 306.15 to 310.15 K, the above emission intensities were approximately halved, but the spectra were not changed significantly. No luminescence was observed at either temperature when the E. coli was grown anaerobically. The visible region luminescence was attributed to excited carbonyl groups and excited singlet O 2 dimers formed during the decomposition of lipid peroxides. The UV component was tentatively assigned to oxidative side reactions accompanying the synthesis of proteins.