Shimomura O, Johnson F H
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1975 Apr;72(4):1546-9. doi: 10.1073/pnas.72.4.1546.
Analysis of substances involved in light-emitting reactions among bioluminescent coelenterates has revealed a pronounced uniformity in the structural features of initial reactants, i.e., "luciferins" and photo-protein chromophores, as well as the light-emitter product. This product is structurally identical among the different classes of coelenterates: Hydrozoa (the jellyfish, Aequorea), Anthozoa (the sea cactus, Cavernularia; sea pansy, Renilla; and sea pen, Leioptilus), and very likely also the Scyphozoa (the jellyfish, Pelagia). In each of these instances the reaction product, namely, 2-(p-hydroxy-pnenylacetyl)amino-3-benzyl-5-(p-hydroxyphenyl) pyrazine, is the actual light-emitter, whether it occurs in a Ca2+-triggered photoprotein type of luminescence, or in a "luciferin-luciferase" type. The evidence indicates that in certain coelenterates, e.g., Cavernularia, these two types are equally significant, whereas in others (Renilla and Leioptilus) the "luciferin-luciferase" type predominates over the Ca-triggerable photoprotein type, and finally that only the photoprotein type functions in the luciferaseless jellyfish, Aequorea. In all instances investigated, the structure of the light-emitter prior to the luminescence reaction appears to be essentially the same as that of the chromophore of unreacted aequorin. The product of the luminescence reaction is absent in extracts of non luminous species. However, a product very similar to that of luminescent coelenterates occurs also in representatives of other phyla, including the cephalopod molluscs, e.g., the "firefly squid" Watasenia and probably various ctenophores as well.
对生物发光腔肠动物中发光反应所涉及物质的分析表明，初始反应物，即“荧光素”和光蛋白发色团以及发光产物的结构特征具有显著的一致性。这种产物在不同类别的腔肠动物中结构相同：水螅纲（水母，海月水母）、珊瑚纲（海仙人掌，多孔螅；海鳃，海鳃属；海笔，软海笔属），很可能还有钵水母纲（水母，珀螅水母）。在上述每种情况下，反应产物，即2-（对羟基苯乙酰基）氨基-3-苄基-5-（对羟基苯基）吡嗪，都是实际的发光体，无论它发生在钙离子触发的光蛋白型发光中，还是在“荧光素-荧光素酶”型发光中。证据表明，在某些腔肠动物中，例如多孔螅，这两种类型同样重要，而在其他动物（海鳃属和软海笔属）中，“荧光素-荧光素酶”型比钙离子可触发的光蛋白型占主导地位，最后，在无荧光素酶的水母海月水母中只有光蛋白型起作用。在所有研究的实例中，发光反应前发光体的结构似乎与未反应的水母发光蛋白的发色团基本相同。非发光物种的提取物中不存在发光反应产物。然而，在其他门的代表动物中也出现了一种与发光腔肠动物的产物非常相似的产物，包括头足纲软体动物，例如“萤乌贼”萤乌贼，可能还有各种栉水母。
