Thomson C M, Herring P J, Campbell A K
Department of Medical Biochemistry, University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff, UK.
J Biolumin Chemilumin. 1997 Mar-Apr;12(2):87-91. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1099-1271(199703/04)12:2<87::AID-BIO438>3.0.CO;2-8.
Bioluminescence has been reported to occur in 17 phyla and at least 700 genera. However, the luciferin chemistry of the majority of luminous organisms has yet to be determined. The most common chemistry which is known to occur in deep sea bioluminescence is imidazolopyrazine bioluminescence. The main aim of this study was to examine the phyletic and tissue distribution of imidazolopyrazine luciferins. This will facilitate analysis of imidazolopyrazine bioluminescence at the cellular and molecular levels and, in particular, how and when its chemistry is controlled and expressed in vivo. Assays for both known imidazolopyrazines were established and a range of fresh organisms and tissue were analysed, i.e. fish, cephalopods, copepods, ostracods, amphipods and euphausiids. The main findings were that the number of genera in which coelenterazine has been detected has been increased from 52 to about 90. Also, for the first time, the other known imidazolopyrazine luciferin, Vargula-type luciferin, was quantified in the ostracod Cypridina dentata, but was not detected in any of its potential predators. Neither imidazolopyrazine luciferin was found in several luminous stomiiform fish assayed. Coelenterazine was measured in the livers and photophores of a number of cephalopods and it is apparent that coelenterazine is responsible for both modes of luminescence.
据报道，生物发光现象存在于17个门和至少700个属中。然而，大多数发光生物的荧光素化学性质尚未确定。深海生物发光中最常见的化学性质是咪唑并吡嗪生物发光。本研究的主要目的是研究咪唑并吡嗪荧光素的系统发育和组织分布。这将有助于在细胞和分子水平上分析咪唑并吡嗪生物发光，特别是其化学性质在体内如何以及何时受到控制和表达。建立了针对已知咪唑并吡嗪的检测方法，并对一系列新鲜生物和组织进行了分析，即鱼类、头足类动物、桡足类动物、介形类动物、端足类动物和磷虾类动物。主要发现是，检测到腔肠素的属的数量已从52个增加到约90个。此外，首次在介形类动物齿形海萤中对另一种已知的咪唑并吡嗪荧光素——瓦尔古勒型荧光素进行了定量，但在其任何潜在捕食者中均未检测到。在几种被检测的发光巨口鱼中均未发现咪唑并吡嗪荧光素。在一些头足类动物的肝脏和发光器中测量了腔肠素，很明显腔肠素是两种发光模式的原因。
