Luciferins are a class of compounds responsible for bioluminescence in organisms such as fireflies. In research these chemicals have been used as a visual method of investigating chemicals reactions. While luciferins in insects and several other organisms have been known for over 50 years, the chemicals responsible for glowing mushrooms have remained elusive. Recently researches at the Russian Academy of Sciences have identified 3-hydroxyhispidin as the molecule involved in fungal bioluminescence. The molecule combines with oxygen and an enzyme called luciferase to produce a green glow in certain species of mushrooms. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2015, 54 (28), 8124-8128. |
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December 2021
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