Luciferin

Luciferin is the generic name for a class of light-emitting substrates used in bioluminescent reactions. In nature, luciferins are oxidized in the presence of the enzyme luciferase and oxygen, resulting in the formation of oxyluciferin and the emission of visible light. The exact structure of luciferin varies widely among organisms—major types in nature include firefly luciferin, coelenterazine, cypridina luciferin, and bacterial luciferin. Each bioluminescent system (e.g., firefly, jellyfish, deep-sea shrimp, bacteria) uses a specific luciferin-luciferase pair. Luciferins are widely employed as substrates in biochemical assays and molecular imaging due to their efficient light production and nontoxic properties.

Other names

Bioluminescent substrateLight-emitting substrateFirefly luciferinCoelenterazineCypridina luciferinDinoflagellate luciferinBacterial luciferin

Substrate for luciferase enzyme; undergoes oxidation to produce oxyluciferin and light