Cypridina hilgendorfii Luciferins

Haneda, Y., Johnson, F. H., and Sie, E. H.-C. (1958). Luciferin and luciferase extracts of a fish, Apogon marginatus, and their luminescent crossreactions with those of a crustacean, Cypridina hilgendorfii. Biol. Bull. 115 336. 

As mentioned in the introductory section, other bioluminescent systems will not be discussed in detail in this review. However, the dioxetane approach has been validated in the bioluminescence mechanism of Cypridina hilgendorfii, Latia, and bacteria 90,178,179,180). As in Cypridina luciferin 119, a Schiff s base grouping is apparently involved in the bioluminescent oxidation the same may be true of Latia nerit-oides 120. 

Oba Y, Kato S, Ojika M, Inouye S. Biosynthesis of luciferin in the sea firefly, Cypridina hilgendorfii L-tryptophan is a component in Cypridina luciferin. Tetrahedron Lett 2002 43 2389-92. 

This ring system has also been called l,3a,6-triazaindene and numbered as in formula 1. A third alternative numbering system (2) has also been used on one occasion. Partly reduced derivatives of imidazo[l,2-a]pyrazine have been referred to as imidazo[l,2-a]piperazines and others, as imidazolino[l,2-a]pyrazines. The majority of papers on this heterocycle are of recent origin and concern the structure and oxidation products of Cypridina luciferin, a bioluminescent substance isolated from Cypridina hilgendorfii, a small crustacean. 

BIOSYNTHESIS OF CYPRIDINA LUCIFERIN FROM FREE AMINO ACIDS IN CYPRIDINA (VARGUIA) HILGENDORFII... 

---