Biomaterial Database

Biological diversity, chemical mechanisms, and the evolutionary origins of bioluminescent systems. 1983

J W Hastings

A diversity of organisms are endowed with the ability to emit light, and to display and control it in a variety of ways. Most of the luciferins (substrates) of the various phylogenetically distant systems fall into unrelated chemical classes, and, based on still limited data, the luciferases (enzymes) and reaction mechanisms are distinctly different. Based on its diversity and phylogenetic distribution, it is estimated that bioluminescence may have arisen independently as many as 30 times in the course of evolution. However, there are several examples of cross-phyletic similarities among the substrates; some of these may be accounted for nutritionally, but in other cases they may have evolved independently.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007448	Invertebrates	Animals that have no spinal column.	Brachiopoda,Mesozoa,Brachiopodas,Invertebrate,Mesozoas
D008156	Luciferases	Enzymes that oxidize certain LUMINESCENT AGENTS to emit light (PHYSICAL LUMINESCENCE). The luciferases from different organisms have evolved differently so have different structures and substrates.	Luciferase
D008163	Luminescent Measurements	Techniques used for determining the values of photometric parameters of light resulting from LUMINESCENCE.	Bioluminescence Measurements,Bioluminescent Assays,Bioluminescent Measurements,Chemiluminescence Measurements,Chemiluminescent Assays,Chemiluminescent Measurements,Chemoluminescence Measurements,Luminescence Measurements,Luminescent Assays,Luminescent Techniques,Phosphorescence Measurements,Phosphorescent Assays,Phosphorescent Measurements,Assay, Bioluminescent,Assay, Chemiluminescent,Assay, Luminescent,Assay, Phosphorescent,Assays, Bioluminescent,Assays, Chemiluminescent,Assays, Luminescent,Assays, Phosphorescent,Bioluminescence Measurement,Bioluminescent Assay,Bioluminescent Measurement,Chemiluminescence Measurement,Chemiluminescent Assay,Chemiluminescent Measurement,Chemoluminescence Measurement,Luminescence Measurement,Luminescent Assay,Luminescent Measurement,Luminescent Technique,Measurement, Bioluminescence,Measurement, Bioluminescent,Measurement, Chemiluminescence,Measurement, Chemiluminescent,Measurement, Chemoluminescence,Measurement, Luminescence,Measurement, Luminescent,Measurement, Phosphorescence,Measurement, Phosphorescent,Measurements, Bioluminescence,Measurements, Bioluminescent,Measurements, Chemiluminescence,Measurements, Chemiluminescent,Measurements, Chemoluminescence,Measurements, Luminescence,Measurements, Luminescent,Measurements, Phosphorescence,Measurements, Phosphorescent,Phosphorescence Measurement,Phosphorescent Assay,Phosphorescent Measurement,Technique, Luminescent,Techniques, Luminescent
D010802	Phylogeny	The relationships of groups of organisms as reflected by their genetic makeup.	Community Phylogenetics,Molecular Phylogenetics,Phylogenetic Analyses,Phylogenetic Analysis,Phylogenetic Clustering,Phylogenetic Comparative Analysis,Phylogenetic Comparative Methods,Phylogenetic Distance,Phylogenetic Generalized Least Squares,Phylogenetic Groups,Phylogenetic Incongruence,Phylogenetic Inference,Phylogenetic Networks,Phylogenetic Reconstruction,Phylogenetic Relatedness,Phylogenetic Relationships,Phylogenetic Signal,Phylogenetic Structure,Phylogenetic Tree,Phylogenetic Trees,Phylogenomics,Analyse, Phylogenetic,Analysis, Phylogenetic,Analysis, Phylogenetic Comparative,Clustering, Phylogenetic,Community Phylogenetic,Comparative Analysis, Phylogenetic,Comparative Method, Phylogenetic,Distance, Phylogenetic,Group, Phylogenetic,Incongruence, Phylogenetic,Inference, Phylogenetic,Method, Phylogenetic Comparative,Molecular Phylogenetic,Network, Phylogenetic,Phylogenetic Analyse,Phylogenetic Clusterings,Phylogenetic Comparative Analyses,Phylogenetic Comparative Method,Phylogenetic Distances,Phylogenetic Group,Phylogenetic Incongruences,Phylogenetic Inferences,Phylogenetic Network,Phylogenetic Reconstructions,Phylogenetic Relatednesses,Phylogenetic Relationship,Phylogenetic Signals,Phylogenetic Structures,Phylogenetic, Community,Phylogenetic, Molecular,Phylogenies,Phylogenomic,Reconstruction, Phylogenetic,Relatedness, Phylogenetic,Relationship, Phylogenetic,Signal, Phylogenetic,Structure, Phylogenetic,Tree, Phylogenetic
D002621	Chemistry	A basic science concerned with the composition, structure, and properties of matter; and the reactions that occur between substances and the associated energy exchange.
D004734	Energy Metabolism	The chemical reactions involved in the production and utilization of various forms of energy in cells.	Bioenergetics,Energy Expenditure,Bioenergetic,Energy Expenditures,Energy Metabolisms,Expenditure, Energy,Expenditures, Energy,Metabolism, Energy,Metabolisms, Energy
D005075	Biological Evolution	The process of cumulative change over successive generations through which organisms acquire their distinguishing morphological and physiological characteristics.	Evolution, Biological
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D001419	Bacteria	One of the three domains of life (the others being Eukarya and ARCHAEA), also called Eubacteria. They are unicellular prokaryotic microorganisms which generally possess rigid cell walls, multiply by cell division, and exhibit three principal forms: round or coccal, rodlike or bacillary, and spiral or spirochetal. Bacteria can be classified by their response to OXYGEN: aerobic, anaerobic, or facultatively anaerobic; by the mode by which they obtain their energy: chemotrophy (via chemical reaction) or PHOTOTROPHY (via light reaction); for chemotrophs by their source of chemical energy: CHEMOLITHOTROPHY (from inorganic compounds) or chemoorganotrophy (from organic compounds); and by their source for CARBON; NITROGEN; etc.; HETEROTROPHY (from organic sources) or AUTOTROPHY (from CARBON DIOXIDE). They can also be classified by whether or not they stain (based on the structure of their CELL WALLS) with CRYSTAL VIOLET dye: gram-negative or gram-positive.	Eubacteria
D014714	Vertebrates	Animals having a vertebral column, members of the phylum Chordata, subphylum Craniata comprising mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fishes.	Vertebrate