Renilla reniformis
| Renilla reniformis | ||||||||||||
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Renilla reniformis |
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| ( Pallas , 1766) |
Renilla reniformis is a species of octocorals belongingtothe sea feather order . It has a leaf-shaped appearance. Characteristic of Renilla reniformis is the ability to generate light ( bioluminescence ).
construction
A colony of Renilla reniformis is made up of polyps of different shapes and functions. The stalk is made up of a single, huge polyp (oozooid). The leaf- or flower-shaped body carries numerous small feeding polyps (autozooids) on its upper side. Tentacle-free tubular polyps (siphonozooids) form inlet and outlet valves through which water can be released or absorbed.
Occurrence
Renilla reniformis can be found off the coast of North Carolina to Florida as well as off Brazil . In contrast to the related species Renilla mülleri , it does not occur in the Gulf of Mexico .
Lighting system
After irritation, Renilla reniformis is capable of bioluminescence . Their lighting system is based on a luciferase , Renilla -Luciferase and a green fluorescent protein , Renilla -GFP. The Renilla luciferase is the primary light source. It generates a blue light from its substrate coelenterazine by consuming oxygen and splitting off carbon dioxide . This is transmitted without radiation via the Förster resonance energy transfer to the Renilla -GFP, which is responsible for the green glow of the sea spring. Renilla reniformis' lighting system, consisting of Renilla luciferase and the green fluorescent protein, is also used experimentally in biochemistry to detect protein-protein interactions .
Individual evidence
- ^ Voss, Gilbert L .: Order Pennatulacea . In: Seashore life of Florida and the Caribbean . Dover, Mineola, NY 2002, ISBN 0-486-42068-X , p. 42.