Biochemistry of Bacterial Bioluminescence

The luminous bacteria have been isolated from marine environments all over the world, both from seawater and from the light organs of certain fish and squid, and from nonmarine habitats as well. The recent taxonomic studies have placed the luminous bacteria in several major groups: marine forms in the genera Photobacterium, Beneckea and Alteromonas, and nonmarine forms in the genera Vibrio and Xenorhabdus. Among the marine luminous bacteria, Photobacterium species occur as symbionts within specialized light organs of higher organisms; Beneckea species have not been found associated with light organs, but members of both genera occur as gut symbionts. The ecology of the luminous bacteria and its relationship to the control of synthesis and expression of the luminescent system has recently been reviewed in some detail. This chapter discusses the present understanding of the reaction catalyzed by bacterial luciferase and the enzyme