Watasenia scintillans

Soon after the hypothetical structure was published, coelenterazine was isolated as an actual substance from the liver of the luminous squid Watasenia scintillans, and it was chemically synthesized (Inoue et al., 1975). The availability of synthetic coelenterazine led to the important discovery that the treatment of the luminescence product of aequorin with coelenterazine results in the regeneration of active aequorin (Shimomura and Johnson, 1975c), which consequently confirmed the presence of a coelenterazine moiety in the aequorin molecule. During the same period, it became increasingly evident that coelenterazine is involved as a luciferin in various bioluminescent organisms, such as the sea cactus Cavernularia, the sea pen Ptilosarcus, and the sea pansy Renilla (Shimomura and Johnson, 1975b). 

Harvey (1917) noted that the fresh arm photophores of Watasenia scintillans do not show a luciferin-luciferase reaction, and Shoji (1919) using a gas chamber of purified hydrogen demonstrated that molecular oxygen is needed for the luminescence. 

Goto, T., Iio, H., Inoue, S., and Kakoi, H. (1974). Squid luminescence I. Structure of Watasenia oxyluciferin, a possible light-emitter in the bioluminescence of Watasenia scintillans. Tetrahedron Lett., pp. 2321-2324. 

Inoue, S., Sugiura, S., Kakoi, H., and Hashizume, K. (1975). Squid bioluminescence. II. Isolation from Watasenia scintillans and synthesis of 2-(p-hydroxybenzyl)-6-(p-hydroxyphenyl)-3,7-dihydroimidazo[l, 2-a]pyrazin-3-one. Chem. Lett., pp. 141-144. 

Inoue, S., et al. (1983). Trace characterization of the Watasenia luciferin in eye and skin photophores and in liver of Watasenia scintillans. Agric. Biol. Chem. 47 635-636. 

Matsui, S., et al. (1988). 4-Hydroxyretinal, a new pigment chromophore found in the bioluminescent squid, Watasenia scintillans. Biochim. Bio-phys. Acta 966 370-374. 

Tsuji, F. I. (1985). ATP-dependent bioluminescence in the firefly squid, Watasenia scintillans. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 82 4629-4632. 

Tsuji, F. I. (2002). Bioluminescence reaction catalyzed by membrane-bound luciferase in the firefly squid Watasenia scintillans. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1564 189-197. 

ATP requirement, 202-205 Watasenia luciferin, 201-204, 340 See Coelenterazine disulfate Watasenia prclucifcrin, 160, 163 Watasenia scintillans (Hotaru-ika),... 

BIOLUMINESCENCE REACTION IN THE FIREFLY SQUID, WATASENIA SCINTILLANS... 

Hayashi S. Studies on the luminous organs of Watasenia scintillans (Berry). Folia Anat Jpn 1927 5417-27. 

Okada Y K. Observations on rod-like contents in the photogenic tissue of Watasenia scintillans through the electron microscope. In Johnson F H, Haneda Y. eds. Bioluminescence in Progress. Princeton University Press, 1966 611-25. 

The mollusk Watasenia scintillans is a small bioluminescent deep-sea squid. The squid has three black-pigmented light organs (< 1 mm diameter) on the tip of the fourth pair of ventral arms and the light emission from the arm light organs is extremely bright when stimulated. 

Materials. Specimens of Watasenia scintillans were caught with trap nets set offshore in Toyama Bay, Japan. In about 8 h the living squids were frozen in liquid nitrogen. Immediately before use, arm light organs were picked off from the arms using ceramic tweezers. 

Tsuji F I. Role of molecular oxygen in the bioluminescence of the firefly squid, Watasenia scintillans. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2005 338 250-53. 

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