Sandbox 167: Difference between revisions
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''Lingulodinium polyedrum'', a marine dinoflagellate often responsible for red tide, posesses a unique luciferase enyzme. When mechanically stimulated, the organism uses this enzyme to produce a blue light, likely for use in quorum sensing. Other luciferase enzymes typically produce green-yellow to red light. Also, while all luciferase enzymes produce light through oxidation of luciferin, the biochemical mechanism by which this is achieved is different, so the lack of similarity to firefly and bacterial luciferases is expected. | ''Lingulodinium polyedrum'', a marine dinoflagellate often responsible for red tide, posesses a unique luciferase enyzme. When mechanically stimulated, the organism uses this enzyme to produce a blue light, likely for use in quorum sensing. Other luciferase enzymes typically produce green-yellow to red light. Also, while all luciferase enzymes produce light through oxidation of luciferin, the biochemical mechanism by which this is achieved is different, so the lack of similarity to firefly and bacterial luciferases is expected. | ||
In ''L. polyedrum'', the luciferase enzyme is a single polypeptide chain folded into 3 similiar domains. Interestingly, all three domains appear to be distinct luciferase centres with their own catalytic activities <ref | In ''L. polyedrum'', the luciferase enzyme is a single polypeptide chain folded into 3 similiar domains. Interestingly, all three domains appear to be distinct luciferase centres with their own catalytic activities <ref>PMID:15665092</ref>. | ||
== Structure == | == Structure == | ||
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== References == | == References == | ||
< | <references /> | ||