Bioluminescence: Molecular Mechanisms and Biochemical Control in Microorganisms

这项研究的目的是了解分子和 细菌生物发光的生化机制， 甲藻，包括编码蛋白质的基因 以及它们的进化起源 在腰鞭毛虫中， 叶绿素，一种可能来源于叶绿素的四吡咯， 酶促氧化产生光。 的机理 反应，酶的中间体，和身份的 发射器，将使用重组产生的蛋白质进行研究， 从克隆基因和合成底物的技术。 的 这些基因的结构、序列和组织将被 确定，并将研究它们的进化起源。 在细菌中，荧光素酶是黄素蛋白单加氧酶， 催化脂肪醛氧化成相应的 acids. 荧光素酶结合中间体沿着和辅助物 “发射体”蛋白将使用生物物理学和生物化学方法表征。 酶学技术研究的性质的主要 激发态及其形成方式。 可能的替代功能 荧光素酶，如保护细胞免受氧损伤 自由基，也将研究使用细菌生长在100% 氧气，并从人体伤口中分离出来。 %%% 虽然生物体发出的可见光是一种 稀有，好奇的性质，它也是一个独特的工具，探索 不寻常的生物能量过程 的目的 研究是为了了解分子和生化机制， 生物发光，并检查控制和进化 相关基因的起源。 我们将主要使用简单 海洋单细胞生物在这项研究中;细菌和 腰鞭毛虫 细菌发出蓝绿色的光。这些细胞 通常与肠道中的高等生物一起生活， 在专门的发光器官中。 甲藻有一个非常 不同的生物发光系统， 独立地，并利用与叶绿素有关的物质。 腰鞭毛虫是负责开花（称为红色 在海洋中，它们产生强大的神经毒素， 积累在贝类，摄取他们，从而使 对人类有毒的贝类。海洋中的磷光 也是由于甲藻生物发光。 我们 人们正在研究这种特殊光线的生物化学 发射反应

The objective of this research is to understand the molecular and biochemical mechanisms of bioluminescence in bacteria and dinoflagellates, including the genes coding for the proteins involved and their evolutionary origins. In dinoflagellates, the luciferin, a tetrapyrrole probably derived from chlorophyll, is oxidized enzymatically to produce light. The mechanism of this reaction, the enzymatic intermediates, and the identity of the emitter, will be studied using proteins produced by recombinant techniques from cloned genes and synthetic substrate(s). The structures, sequences and organization of these genes will be determined, and their evolutionary origins will be investigated. In bacteria, luciferase is a flavoprotein monooxygenase which catalyzes the oxidation of aliphatic aldehydes to the corresponding acids. Luciferase-bound intermediates along with accessory "emitter" proteins will be characterized using photophysical and enzymological techniques to investigate the nature of the primary excited state and how it is formed. Possible alternative functions of luciferase, such as protection against cellular damage by oxygen radicals, will also be studied using bacteria which grow in 100% oxygen and were isolated from a human wound. %%% Although the emission of visible light by living organisms is a rare, curiosity of nature, it is also a unique tool for exploring unusual biological energetic processes. The objective of the research is to understand the molecular and biochemical mechanisms of bioluminescence, and to examine the control and evolutionary origin of the genes involved. We will principally use simple marine unicellular organisms in this study; bacteria and dinoflagellates. The bacteria emit blue-green light. These cells often live in association with higher organisms in the gut tract or in specialized light emitting organs. Dinoflagellates have a very different bioluminescence system which seems to have evolved independently, and makes use of a substance related to chlorophyll. The dinoflagellates are responsible for the blooms (called red tides) in the ocean, where they produce potent neurotoxins which accumulate in the shellfish that ingest them, thus making the shellfish poisonous for man. The phosphorescence of the ocean seen at night is also due to dinoflagellate bioluminescence. Our studies are learn about the biochemistry for this peculiar light emission reaction.