Etmopterus lantern sharks use coelenterazine as the substrate for their luciferin-luciferase bioluminescence system

The lantern shark genus Etmopterus contains approximately 40 species of deep-sea bioluminescent cartilaginous fishes. They emit blue light mainly from the ventral body surface. biological functions this bioluminescence have been discussed based on luminescence patterns, but mechanism remains uncertain. In study, we detected both coelenterazine and coelenterazine-dependent luciferase activity in photophore tissue molleri. results suggested that sharks is produced using as substrate for luciferin-luciferase reaction, some luminous bony