Bioluminescent bacteria

Bioluminescent bacteria are any light-producing bacteria, present mostly in sea water, marine sediments, surface of decomposing fish and in gut of marine animals. These bacteria may live free (example, Vibrio harveyi) or in symbiosis (example, Vibrio fischeri) with animals such as the Hawaiian Bobtail squid or terrestrial nematodes (example, Photorhabdus luminescens). The animals provide these bacteria a safe home and sufficient nutrition and use the light organs for camouflage, preying for food and attracting mates. The bacteria may deploy luminescence reaction for quorum sensing - ability to regulate gene expression in response to bacterial cell density.

Bioelectromagnetics of bio-luminescence

Bacterial bio-luminescence is caused by action of an enzyme called bacterial luciferase, encoded by lux gene, which also expresses enzymes for substrates of the bioluminescence reaction, like fatty aldehydes. It has been proposed that bioelectromagnetics may be involved in biological processes behind bio-luminescence, which may function as a pump. This pump may involve mm and sub-mm wave coupling of bio-luminescence radiation for quorum sensing regulation. This proposal arises from the observation that mm-wave radiation exposure has been reported to induce changes in DNA conformation and possibly gene expression. Agents that change DNA conformation also increase light emission in bio-luminescence of bacteria.

See also

• List of bioluminescent organisms
• Bioluminescence