Abstract-Three different classes of bioluminescence have been critically reviewed with special reference to the molecular physiology of control and regulation of light emission in its various forms.
INTRODUC'IIONBioluminescence may be defined as emission by living organisms of light which is visible to the eye. Sometimes the function of this phenomenon in behavioural terms is quite clear, as in the case of fireflies (sexual attraction) or the angler fish (attraction of victims) but often a function which would satisfy human logic is obscure, as with luminescent bacteria.If we consider as axiomatic that light emission occurs in order to be seen [this excludes other possible hypotheses such as oxygen desintoxification or production of activated oxygen species ] the bioluminescent reaction must satisfy certain conditions: (1) the quantum yield must be as high as possible, (2) the energy range, i.e. the colour, must be adapted to the receptor organs of the second partner in this social exchange, and (3) tight intensity (rate of production of photons) is more important than total light emitted. Thus, a short lived high level emission, with a duration of fraction of a second, can be more useful than low level emission over a much longer time. The third of these conditions is perhaps the most interesting, since it implies a completely different enzymology in which the 'catalytic properties of the protein functioning as an enzyme are less significant than the control and synchronization of the enzymic system.Bioluminescence is the result of enzymic oxidations which differ in many characteristics among the various zoological groups (Harvey, 1952). Nevertheless, it is noteworthy that the number of distinct enzymic systems is considerably less than the number of species showing bioluminescence. This is due to various factors, among which is the existence of a relationship between the luciferases and luciferins from one species to another (not necessarily closely related), for example Cypridina (ostracod crustacean) and Renilla (coelenterate). Symbiotic phenomena also play a role, for example luminescent bacteria in fish, as well as dietetic pathways, e.g. fish and crustaceans. These diverse enzymic reactions can be adapted in various ways to satisfy the conditions mentioned above. Thus, while a simple bioluminescent reaction can be writtenpresence of a third highly fluorescent component can increase the overall quantum yield as a result of energy transfer. Localization of substrate can be such that the enzyme operates at V,,, thus satisfying the third condition.Apart from molecular organization, various levels of physiological control can be exercised by three major mechanisms: (1) the necessary components are excreted and the enzymic reaction takes place outside of the emitting individual, e.g. Pholas dactylus (mollusc) and Cypridina, (2) the reaction is intracellular but the intensity does not vary or varies very slowly, e.g. bacteria and fungi, and (3) the reaction is intracellular and is highly controlled by the indivi...