Sandbox 167

Lingulodinium polyedrum dinoflagellate luciferase

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Lingulodinium polyedrum, a marine dinoflagellate often responsible for red tide, posesses a unique-domain luciferase enyzme. When mechanically stimulated, the organism uses this enzyme to produce a blue light, likely for use in quorum sensing.

IntroductionIntroduction

In L. polyedrum, the luciferase enzyme is a single polypeptide chain folded into 3 similiar domains. Each domain participates in its own reaction with luciferin, allowing for simultaneous luciferase reactions to take place on the same protein.