Bioluminescence characteristics of the fruiting body of Mycena chlorophos

Abstract

Bioluminescent fungi are widely distributed on land and most belong to the class Basidomycetes. Light of about 530 nm wavelength maximum is emitted continuously. The molecular basis for the light-emitting process remains unclear. We investigated the characteristics of the bioluminescence using cultivated fruiting bodies of M. chlorophos. Only fresh fruiting bodies exhibited long-lasting light emission; rapid decay of light emission was observed with frozen and freeze-dried samples. Freeze-dried samples can be stored at room temperature under dry conditions and may be useful for the isolation of luciferin. The light emission of the fresh fruiting bodies was maintained in various buffers at varying pH; it could be stopped with pH 4 acetate buffer and could be recovered at pH 6. The isolation of luciferin from the fresh fruiting bodies might be possible by the control of buffer pH. The effect of temperature on the light emission of fruiting bodies indicated that bioluminescence in M. chlorophos may involve enzymatic reaction(s). The solubilization of bioluminescent components from the fruiting bodies could not be achieved with various surfactants.