LUMINESCENCE
Abstract
The Journal o f Biological and Chemical Luminescence
Some investigations on the chemical origin of the m ulticolor
firefly bioluminescence
Ai-Min Rena, Chun-Gang M ina and John D G oddardb
aState Key Laboratory o f Theoretical and Computational Chemis­
try, Institute o f Theoretical Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun
130023, P. R. China
bDepartm ent o f Chemistry, University o f Guelph, Guelph,
Ontario, Canada
Fireflies naturally em it m ulticolo r lig h t from green (æ 530nm) to
orange, and even to red (^6 3 5 nm). In order to explain the var­
iation in the color o f the bioluminescence, many hypotheses
have been proposed to date. Flowever, there is still no consen­
sus on which hypothesis best describes the mechanism behind
the m ulticolo r bioluminescence. The relationship between the
w ide range o f biolum inescent colors and the structure o f the
light em itter remain challenging problems. Experimental studies
o f the light em itters are hindered due to the extrem e instability
o f OxyLFl2 . Thus theoretical predictions preferably w ith ab initio
methods are advantageous. In this section it is reviewed that
all available theoretical data o f us are used to study aspects o f
the six hypotheses regarding the OxyLH2-based light em itters
from fireflies.
Light em itting system in a deep sea shark: Etmopterus spinax
(Squaloidea: Etmopteridae)
M. Renwart and J. Mallefet
(Marine Biology Laboratory, Earth and Life Institute, UCL, Belgium)
The biochem istry o f light em ittin g systems has been largely
studied in invertebrates. Am ong vertebrates, only fishes are
endow ed w ith this capability and the mechanism o f light
emission has merely been investigated in bony fishes. Although
less known, because rather rare and d ifficu lt to observe, cartilag­
inous fishes also contain biolum inescent members. Two families
are in concern, Dalatiidae and E tm opteridae1, inform ation about
the biochem istry o f the ir lum inous system are lacking.
In this work, we aim to describe for the very first tim e the chemiluminescent reaction involved in a shark species: Etmopterus spinax
(Etmopteridae). E. spinax is a deep-sea species displaying a continu­
ous blue luminescence on its ventral and lateral faces2. Classical
cross-reactions w ith known luminous substrates, such as known
imidazolopyrazines, do not produce light perse, suggesting a new
luminous system in this species. Studies are now in progress to detect
and purify the substrate o f the reaction by biochemical methods.
This w ork was supported by an FRS-FNRS grant to M. Renwart.
J. M allefet is a researcher associate o f the FRS-FNRS.
1. Flubbs CL, Iwai T, Matsubara K. External and internal
characters, horizontal and vertical distributions, lum ines­
cence, and food o f the dw arf pelagic shark Euprotomicrus
bispinatus. Bull. Scripps Inst. Oceanogr. 1967;10:1-64.
2. Claes JM, M allefe t J. Early d e v e lo p m e n t o f b io lu m in e s­
cence suggests cam ouflage by c o u n te rillu m in a tio n in
the velvet belly lantern shark Etmopterus spinax (Squaloidea:
Etmopteridae). J. Fish Biol. 2008;73:1337-50.
Bioluminescent assays for m onitoring o f air pollution
NV Rimatskaya3, EV Nemtsevaa,b and VA Kratasyuka,b
aSiberian Federal University, 79 Svobodny Prospect, Krasnoyarsk,
660041, Russia
blnstitute o f Biophysics SB RAS, 50/50 Akadem gorodok,
Krasnoyarsk, 660036, Russia
E-mail: Shmanko_Nadya@mail.ru
When com pared w ith the o th e r available tests m easuring
w a te r to x ic ity the bioassay m ethods based on the lum ines­
cent bacteria, soluble and im m o b ilize d coupled system
o f NAD(P)FI:FMN-oxidoreductase-luciferase (reagent "Enzimolyum ") have certain advantages as fo r analysis speed,
handling and cost. Flowever the available biolu m in escen t
m ethods were not ye t a p plied to measure air po llu tio n . So
we aim ed to de te rm in e the sensitivity o f lum inous bacteria
and th e ir enzymes to air samples d iffe re d by industrial p o llu ­
tio n degree.
Air samples were collected in the clean (Akadem gorodok,
sample#1) and po llu ted (the coal pow er plant area, sample#2)
districts o f Krasnoyarsk city. The air samples were collected
in to liquid absorption m edium (water, ethanol o r acetone).
The standard aspirating device perform ing 1.0 lite r per m inute
was used. Chemical com p osition o f the samples was analyzed
w ith gaseous chrom atograph (A gilent Technologies 7890A).
To com pare the sensitivity o f assays the num bers o f d ilu tio n
o f the samples necessary to rem ove toxic effect were
considered.
Results are presented in the table 1.
The results indicate th a t w a te r is the be tte r than ethanol or
acetone m edium fo r air sample preparation because o f its
sufficient capacity to absorb organic com pounds, absence
o f in te rfe rin g effects on biolum inescent. The sensitivity o f
soluble and im m o bilized enzymes is 3 -2 4 tim es higher than
sensitivity o f bacterial-based test. The im m o bilized reagent
provides the reduction o f the tim e required to com plete
the analysis (dow n to 7 m inutes), easy-to-use, higher sensitiv­
ity (allow ed d ilu tio n s is up to 16000), possibility to increase
the volum e o f the sample up to 97% o f the to ta l one. Thus
we showed the possibility to apply the biolum inescent bioas­
says based on im m o bilized reagent "Enzim olyum " fo r air po l­
lution m on itorin g.
This w o rk was supported by the Federal agency o f science
and innovations (contract No 02.740.11.0766), the Program o f
the G overnm ent o f Russian Federation "Measures to A ttract
Leading Scientists to Russian Educational Institutions" (grant
No 11. G34.31.058).
Table 1 . Com parative characteristics o f biolum inescent assays used to m on itor air pollution
Type o f bioassay
Soluble coupled system
Luminescent bacteria
5
2
Immobilized coupled system
(Enzimolyum)
Number o f components
3
(simplicity)
Duration o f assay, min
Sensitivity
Water
10
5-30
7
2000 / 3
7 0 0 /3
1 6 0 0 0 /3
(number o f dilutions),
Ethanol
7 0 0 /1
1/ 1
250/3
sample#1 / sample#2
Acetone
2000 / 3
1/ 1
>2000 / 3
Storage conditions
2 months at +15 °C,
3 years at -18°C
wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/luminescence
6 months at +5°C,
2 years at + 4 -+ 2 5 °C
1 year at -18°C
Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Luminescence 2012; 27: 95-178