| 释义 |
luciferin Biol.|l(j)uːˈsɪfərɪn|
Formerly also -ine.
[ad. F. luciférine (R. Dubois 1887, in Compt. Rend. CV. 691), f. L. lūcifer light-bearing: see -in1.]
Any substance which is present naturally in an organism (such as the glow-worm) and which when oxidized in the presence of a specific enzyme (a luciferase) is capable of producing light.
It was formerly believed that one single substance, luciferin, was common to all organisms which produce light.
1888,1920[see luciferase]. 1952E. N. Harvey Bioluminescence p. xi, Luciferin and luciferase are general names used for these compounds manufactured by luminous animals, but it is probable that the luciferin or luciferase from a species in one group may be quite different chemically from that in another. 1954Harvey & Tsuji in Jrnl. Cell. & Compar. Physiol. XLIV. 71 Luciferin may properly be defined as the oxidizable substance supplying molecules capable of absorbing enough excess energy to emit in the visible region. 1966Johnson & Haneda Bioluminescence in Progress 10 Bacterial luciferin has become a matter of definition... FMNH2 may be considered the ‘luciferin’ of this system. 1971[see luciferase]. |