Marine bioluminescence, measurements

Widder, E. A., Latz, M. I., and Case, J. F. (1983). Marine bioluminescence spectra measured with an optical multichannel detection system. Biol. Bull. 165 791-810. 

Standardised test methods, such as ISO 11348 [58], could be used for aqueous samples and elutriates. Light emitting marine bacteria, such as Vibrio fischeri or Photobacterium sp., are used. A defined bacterial inoculum is added to the sample solutions and the change of the intensity of the bioluminescence is measured over a period of 30 minutes. Ready to use test kits, for example LumisTox (Dr. Lange) or ToxAlert (Merck) are available and do comply with all the requirements defined in the standard methods. 

A few words should be said about the existence of PMT-based instruments that are developed to solve specific problems in chemi- or bioluminescence. For instance, marine laboratories have developed and improved over time a range of so-called bathyphotometers for hydrobiophysical measurements (microalgae, zooplankton in the surface waters of the sea) [7]. 

The instrumentation used to measure in situ marine bioluminescence fits into three basic categories. These categories include, first, a closed system in which seawater is pulled into a light-tight volume viewed by a detector (usually a photomultiplier tube) (7,10-12) that measures bioluminescence stimulated by the turbulently flowing seawater. Second, open detectors view directly out into the seawater (3, 6) and measure stimulated... 

Since 1979, we have measured marine bioluminescence in diverse ocean waters ranging from tropical waters off St. Croix, V.I. to 73° N latitude to observations made under the pack ice of the Beaufort Sea, and finally from the submersibles Alvin and Johnson Sea Link to depths of 3650 m. This chapter describes the instrumentation developed for this purpose and presents examples of our measurements to date. 

The Beckman Microtox system was employed to assess the relative toxicity of pesticides and their hydrolysis products to bacteria. This system utilizes Photobacterium phosphoreum, a marine bioluminescent bacterium phylogenetically related to several genera of bacteria important in soil. The Microtox system measures the light emitted from P. phosphoreum that have been exposed to a chemical dissolved in the diluent. The details of theory and operation of Microtox analyzer and experimental conditions used have been described (26-28). 

Thomulka, K. W., McGee, D. J., Lange, J. H. 1993. Detection of biohazzardous materials in water by measuring bioluminescence with the marine organism Vibrio harveyi. Journal Environmental Science and Health. A28 2153-2166. 

The sensitivity and versatility of bioluminescent reactions has led to a wide range of applications (Table 3). Three bioluminescent reactions, firefly luciferase, marine bacterial luciferase, and the aequorin reaction, dominate and account for more than 90% of the applications. The versatility of bioluminescent reactions stems from the dependence of the reactions on key substances such as ATP (firefly reaction), NAD/NADH (marine bacterial reaction), and metal ions such as calcium (aequorin), and the fact that ATP and NAD can in turn be coupled to kinases and dehydrogenases to measure either the enzyme or its substrate. 

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