Membrane polypeptides co-induced with the bacterial bioluminescent system.

Electrophoretic analysis of membrane proteins and electron microscopy of freeze-fracture replicas reveal that certain polypeptides and intramembrane particles are absent in Beneckea harveyi harvested prior to luminescence induction but present after induction. The polypeptides and particles are also absent in mutants which fail to synthesize the luminescent system. These correlations implicate membrane polypeptides in the bacterial bioluminescent system.