luciferylAMP

LuciferylAMP is the adenylated form of the substrate luciferin that serves as a high-energy intermediate in the ATP-dependent bioluminescence reaction catalyzed by firefly luciferase and related enzymes. In this process, luciferin is activated by ATP in the presence of Mg2+, forming luciferyl-AMP and releasing pyrophosphate. This activated intermediate remains bound in the luciferase active site as the reaction proceeds toward light emission.

The luciferyl-AMP intermediate reacts with molecular oxygen within the enzyme, undergoing oxidation that leads to the formation of an excited-state oxyluciferin and the emission of photons as it relaxes to the ground state. The overall reaction produces light and yields byproducts such as AMP and carbon dioxide. The formation and consumption of luciferyl-AMP are central to the catalytic cycle that enables the bioluminescent signal.

LuciferylAMP is typically short-lived and not isolated under normal conditions; it is studied primarily through kinetic and mechanistic experiments to understand how luciferase activates luciferin and converts chemical energy into light. The concept of luciferyl-AMP is relevant to a range of ATP-dependent luminescent systems, with variations among luciferases reflecting adaptations in substrate binding and catalytic efficiency. It has practical relevance in bioluminescence assays and in research on enzyme mechanisms, structure–function relationships, and energy transduction in bioluminescent reactions.