Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A chemical substance present in the cells of bioluminescent organisms, such as fireflies, that produces an almost heatless, bluish-green light when oxidized under the catalytic effects of luciferase and ATP.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Biochem.) any of several substances found in luminescent organisms (such as the firefly,
Photinus pyralis ) which, when oxidized, produces an almost heatless light. It was first isolated from fireflies, and is the source of the firefly luminescence. See alsofirefly luciferin
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun biochemistry Any of a class of
polycyclic heterocycles that are responsible for thebioluminescence offireflies , being converted tooxyluciferin byluciferase in the process.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun pigment occurring in luminescent organisms (as fireflies); emits heatless light when undergoing oxidation
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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He told me that luciferin is extremely unstable and rapidly decomposes in the presence of oxygen, and also that Professor Newton Harvey of Princeton University had been trying to purify luciferin for the past 20 years but had been unsuccessful.
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It is produced when oxygen, breathed in through the abdominal trachea, combines with a substance called luciferin in the presence of the enzyme luciferase, in special cells called photocytes.
The light that draws the flower James Greer 2011
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This enzyme uses ATP to power a chemical reaction in which a chemical (called luciferin) is oxidized, emitting a photon in the process.
Ars Technica 2010
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The light is created when oxygen combines with a substance called luciferin in the presence of the enzyme luciferase, in special cells called photocytes.
A Passion for Nature 2009
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With that material, Kishi successfully determined the structure of the luciferin the next year.
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He explained to me that Cypridina, a small crustacean common in shallow coastal waters of Japan, emits light with an organic compound called luciferin and an enzyme, luciferase.
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I also studied the properties of GFP and resolved a controversy regarding the role of a dioxetane intermediate in the luminescence reaction of firefly luciferin.
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From frozen Cypridina, we extracted luciferin and then purified and crystallized the luciferin.
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I also performed research on dinoflagellate luciferin and luminous scale worms.
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Our first paper on Cypridina luciferin was published in 1957, although the chromophore structure of luciferin remained to be elucidated.
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