2) T h e luciferin from a luminous ostracod, Cypridina hilgendor6, has been assigned a tentative structure by Y. Hirata, 0. Shimomura, TO THE EDITOR Vol. s3
A chemiluminescent acridinium ester has been synthesized that reacts spontaneously with proteins to yield stable, immunoreactive derivatives of high specific activity. The compound has been used to prepare chemiluminescent monoclonal antibodies to human alpha 1-fetoprotein having average incorporation ratios as great as 2.8 mol of label per mole of antibody, which corresponds to a detection limit of approximately 8 X 10(-19) mol. These antibodies have been used in the preliminary development of a two-site immunochemiluminometric assay for human alpha 1-fetoprotein, which requires only a 30-min incubation and a quantification time of 5 s per sample.
There is surely no more dramatic natural phenomenon than bioluminescence.1 If chemists were readily persuaded to investigate the chemistry of natural coloration, how can they resist examining the flashing multicolored lighting display of bioluminescent creatures?This "cold" light is used for almost every conceivable purpose.1-3 Fireflies flash with a pattern which serves to distinguish species and sex, while in the sea the fish Argyropelecus3 matches the ambient light from above, disguising its silhouette; the deep sea fish Pachystomias has a red "headlight" to seek out prey, which have the disadvantage (common to many deep sea animalsexcept Pachystomias!) of being almost blind to red light.In general1•2 the light is used in courtship displays, shoaling and communication, differentiation of the sexes, finding and attracting prey, distracting predators, and camouflage.Light in the depths of the ocean has a maximum intensity in the blue-green region (475 nm) and the eyes of most of the inhabitants have probably developed optimum efficiency around that wavelength. It is thus not surprising to find that most marine bioluminescence is also in the blue-green. We are naturally interested in the molecular evolution which has provided this useful color range.Although terrestrial luminescent organisms such as the firefly, glowworm, and certain click-beetles are best known, most of the other examples are in the sea, ranging in complexity from microscopic bacteria and plankton to fish of many species. Two-thirds of the organisms in the upper 2000 m of the oceanic water column are bioluminescent,2 with the maximum incidence of luminescence occurring at 800 m. So widespread a phenomenon must be a strongly selected trait, and it should be possible to follow, in outline at least, the structural and mechanistic evolution of bioluminescent systems. Efficient chemiluminescence is rare, and we might expect that several totally unrelated phyla would develop bioluminescent processes based on the same or Frank McCapra was born in Glasgow in 1934. He received the B.Sc. degree from the University of Glasgow, and studied at Imperial College, London, for the Ph.D. with Sir Derek H. R. Barton. Following 1 year as postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University with W. D. McElroy, and then 2 years as I.C.I. Fellow at the University of Glasgow, he joined the faculty of the University of British Columbia in 1962. He moved to his present post as Reader in Chemistry at the University of Sussex in 1966. Dr. McCapra's research is mainly concentrated in the study of the mechanisms of chemiluminescence and bioluminescence, enzyme models, and biosynthesis.very similar chemiluminescent reactions. On present evidence, this appears to be the case.
(1987) 30 figures, 217 pages, DM168, ISBN 3-540-17,55-X This book provides an excellent source of information on chemiluminescence and aspects of bioluminescence. It is written by two international authorities who have made major contributions in this field. The book is divided into four main sections. Section A covers the physicochemical background to chemiluminescence, Section B surveys a range of chemiluminescent reactions (autoxidation, peroxides, dioextans, peroxy oxalates, luminol and related compounds, acridines, imine peroxides, electrogenerated), bioluminescent reactions are briefly considered in Section C, and in the final section applications, instrumentation and practical demonstrations are described.A recurrent theme is the uncertainty surrounding the mechanism of the majority of chemiluminescent reactions and the numerous opportunities for both basic and applied research in this fascinating area of scientific endeavour. The authors' coverage of chemi- ANNOUNCEMENTS
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.