| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2047955 | FEBS Letters | 2011 | 4 Pages |
The arm light organ of the firefly squid, Watasenia scintillans, emits extremely bright flashes of light, which are caused by a luciferin–luciferase reaction involving ATP, Mg2+ and molecular oxygen. The molecular mechanism underlying the bioluminescence reaction has remained unresolved, because the luciferase could not be identified or isolated. The arm light organ contains numerous rod-like bodies that are 2–6 μm long and 1–2 μm thick. This paper addresses the characterization of the extracted rod-like body. We found that the rod-like bodies emit the light in vitro by the luciferin–luciferase reaction. Furthermore, by using the X-ray powder diffraction method, we confirmed that the rod-like bodies are well-ordered microcrystals.
► The rod-like bodies in the arm light organ of the firefly squid emit light in vitro. ► The rod-like body is well-ordered microcrystals in the X-ray powder diffraction. ► The microcrystal includes luciferin, luciferase and unknown proteins. ► The firefly squid’s luciferase can carry out bioluminescence just in crystal form.
