BIOLUMINESCENCE MECHANISM ON NEW SYSTEMS

New bioluminescence systems in luminous organisms such as mushrooms, a snail, a squid etc. were investigated. The chromophores emitting light were determined. The mushroom, Lampteromyces japonicus, involves a flavin derivative as the light emitting species. Three components were necessary in the chemiluminescence of the homogenate of this mushroom; one of the smallest constituents being L-tyrosine. The chromophore in the luminous squid, Symplectoteuthis oualaniensis, was identified to be dehydrocoelenterazine. This chromophore exists as conjugate adduct in the photoprotein. One of the old luminescence systems, a firefly, was applied to detect protein phosphatases. This is an example to request developments on the new bioluminescence system.