title: Spectroscopic studies of the light-color modulation mechanism of firefly (beetle) bioluminescence.
abstract: To reveal the light-color modulation mechanism of firefly (beetle) bioluminescence, we investigated the spectroscopic properties of the phenolate anion 1-O(-) generated from 5,5-dimethyloxyluciferin (1-OH) using various base/solvent combinations. Phenolate anion 1-O(-) is a model compound for the keto form of wild-type oxyluciferin phenolate anion (OL(-)), which is postulated to be the emitter of the bioluminescence. The fluorescence maxima of 1-O(-) were found to depend on the base/solvent combination used, and they varied in the range 541-640 nm, which covers the almost whole range of the bioluminescence emission maximum. In a polar solvent, where (1)(1-O(-))* and the countercation (the conjugate acid of a base) make a solvent-separated ion pair or a free ion couple, the emission maxima of 1-O(-) were found to be modulated by the solvent polarity. In a less polar solvent, where (1)(1-O(-))* and the countercation are formed as a contact ion pair, the strength of the covalent character of the O8'...H bond between (1)(1-O(-))* and the countercation is operative. The effect of the base/solvent combination on the emission properties of (1)(1-O(-))* was also verified using fluorescence lifetime measurements and density functional theory calculations on 1-O(-) and its ion-pair models. On the basis of these results, we propose the following light-color modulation mechanism: (1) the light emitter is the excited singlet state of OL(-) [(1)(OL(-))*], and (2) light emission from (1)(OL(-))* is modulated by the polarity of the active-site environment of a luciferase and the degree of covalent character of the O8'...H bond between (1)(OL(-))* and a protonated basic moiety in the active site. Mechanisms for variation of the bioluminescence colors and their applications are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics and Chemistry, The University of Electro-Communications, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585, Japan.
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hirano
authors.forename: Yosuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hasumi
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohtsuka
authors.forename: Shojiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maki
authors.forename: Haruki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Niwa
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamaji
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hashizume
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D048888:Fireflies / Q000737:chemistry*; D049454:Firefly Luciferin / Q000737:chemistry*; D049409:Luciferases, Firefly / Q000737:chemistry; D049449:Luminescence; D011789:Quantum Theory; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: C458342:5,5-dimethyloxyluciferin; D049454:Firefly Luciferin; D049409:Luciferases, Firefly