Coelenteramide is the oxidized product, or

oxyluciferin Luciferin (from the Latin ''lucifer'', "light-bearer") is a generic term for the light-emitting compound found in organisms that generate bioluminescence. Luciferins typically undergo an enzyme-catalyzed reaction with molecular oxygen. The resu ...

, of the

bioluminescent Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by living organisms. It is a form of chemiluminescence. Bioluminescence occurs widely in marine vertebrates and invertebrates, as well as in some Fungus, fungi, microorganisms including ...

reactions in many marine organisms that use

coelenterazine Coelenterazine is a luciferin, a molecule that emits light after reaction with oxygen, found in many aquatic organisms across eight phyla. It is the substrate of many luciferases such as ''Renilla reniformis'' luciferase (Rluc), ''Gaussia'' lucif ...

. It was first isolated as a

blue fluorescent protein The green fluorescent protein (GFP) is a protein that exhibits bright green fluorescence when exposed to light in the blue to ultraviolet range. The label ''GFP'' traditionally refers to the protein first isolated from the jellyfish ''Aequorea ...

from ''

Aequorea victoria ''Aequorea victoria'', also sometimes called the crystal jelly, is a bioluminescent hydrozoan jellyfish, or hydromedusa, that is found off the west coast of North America. The species is best known as the source of two proteins involved in biolu ...

'' after the animals were stimulated to emit light. Under basic conditions, the compound will break down further into coelenteramine and 4-hydroxy

phenylacetic acid Phenylacetic acid (PAA; conjugate base phenylacetate), also known by various synonyms, is an organic compound containing a phenyl functional group and a carboxylic acid functional group. It is a white solid with a strong honey-like odor. Endogen ...

. It is an aminopyrazine.Discovery and Validation of a New Family of Antioxidants: The Aminopyrazine Derivatives. M. L. N. Dubuisson, J.-F. Rees and J. Marchand-Brynaert, Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry, 2004, 4, 159-165,

References

External links

* Bioluminescence Aminopyrazines Carboxamides {{heterocyclic-stub