CAS No.: 115144-35-9Molecular Formula: C11H7N2O3S2.KMolecular Weight: 318.42Purity >99% (chemical and optical purity)
Luciferin, the small molecule substrate, and the enzyme Luciferase are present in a variety of bioluminescent organisms including fireflies. Light can be generated by oxidation of D-luciferin but the reaction rate is extremely slow in absence of the enzyme luciferase and the cofactor ATP. Luminometers and optical microscopes have been developed to detect light emitted from the two-step luciferase-catalyzed reaction. The protein Luciferase can be transiently or stably expressed in cells and organisms. Thus, luciferase and luciferin have been widely used in in vitro and in vivo luciferase reporter assays detecting gene expression and detecting the level of cellular ATP in cell viability assays or for kinase activity assays. The applications of luciferase and luciferin including in vivo imaging are still expanding.