User:Matt Whelihan
From Proteopedia
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| - | I am a graduate student at the University of Vermont. My field of research is biochemistry. I am working on a Proteopedia page for a Protein Structure class under the supervision of Dr. Stephen Everse.<applet load='1BA3' size=' | + | |
| + | == '''Firefly Luciferase''' (''Photinus pyralis'') == | ||
| + | Bioluminescence is the process by which living organisms convert chemical energy into photons of light and it is widely distributed throughout the animals, plants and fungi. Species use bioluminescence as a survival tool in mating, defense and hunting. The one thing that all bioluminescent species have in common is that they all catalyze the reaction with an enzyme generically called a luciferase. All luciferases oxidize a substrate, which then decays back to the ground state while emitting a photon of light. This process is incredibly efficient with almost one photon of light produced per oxidation. While all lucifeases oxidize their substrates, the cofactors involved and reaction pathways used, vary widely. | ||
| + | I am a graduate student at the University of Vermont. My field of research is biochemistry. I am working on a Proteopedia page for a Protein Structure class under the supervision of Dr. Stephen Everse. | ||
| + | <applet load='1BA3' size='600' frame='true' align='right' caption='FIREFLY LUCIFERASE IN COMPLEX WITH BROMOFORM' /> | ||
Revision as of 01:42, 7 April 2009
Firefly Luciferase (Photinus pyralis)
Bioluminescence is the process by which living organisms convert chemical energy into photons of light and it is widely distributed throughout the animals, plants and fungi. Species use bioluminescence as a survival tool in mating, defense and hunting. The one thing that all bioluminescent species have in common is that they all catalyze the reaction with an enzyme generically called a luciferase. All luciferases oxidize a substrate, which then decays back to the ground state while emitting a photon of light. This process is incredibly efficient with almost one photon of light produced per oxidation. While all lucifeases oxidize their substrates, the cofactors involved and reaction pathways used, vary widely. I am a graduate student at the University of Vermont. My field of research is biochemistry. I am working on a Proteopedia page for a Protein Structure class under the supervision of Dr. Stephen Everse.
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