Luciferin is a generic name for light emitting pigments found in organisms capable of bioluminescence, like fireflies, deep sea fish and microbes.

Luciferin is oxidised in the presence of the enzyme luciferase to produce oxyluciferin and energy in the form of light. There are five general types of luciferins.

Luciferins

Firefly luciferin

Firely luciferin is the luciferin found in fireflies. It is the substrate of luciferin luciferase (EC 1.13.12.7)

Bacterial luciferin

Bacterial luciferin is a type of luciferin found is found in bacteria, and some squids and fish. It consists of a long chain aldehyde and a reduced riboflavin phosphate.

Dinoflagellate luciferin

Dinoflagellate luciferin is a chlorophyll derivative and is found in dinoflaggelates (a type of marine plankton) and euphesiid shrimp.

Vargulin

Vargulin is found in ostracods and Poricthys. It is an imidazolopyrazine.

Coelenterazine

Coelenterazine is found in radiolarians, ctenophores, cnidarians, squid, copepods, chaetognaths , fish and shrimp. It is the light emitting molecule in the protein aequorin .

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Major Luciferin types