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Aequorea macrodactyla

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Aequorea macrodactyla
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Class: Hydrozoa
Order: Leptothecata
Family: Aequoreidae
Genus: Aequorea
Species:
A. macrodactyla
Binomial name
Aequorea macrodactyla
(Brandt, 1835)

Aequorea macrodactyla is a species of hydrozoan in the family Aequoreidae. It was first described by Johann Friedrich von Brandt in 1835.[1]

Description

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It can have up to 150 tentacles and grow up to 25 cm.[2]

Bioluminescence

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Bioluminescence is a common feature among marine organisms. The luminescent system of A. macrodactyla is similar to a related species, A. victoria, and consists of a 27-kDa green fluorescent protein and the aequorin complex which consists of a 22-kDa apoaequorin, the luminophore coelenterazine, and molecular oxygen. These proteins function together. As calcium binds to coelenterazine, (a bioluminescent molecule in sea life), the molecule oxidizes which results in the release of carbon dioxide and blue light. The blue light emitted from the aequorin activates GFP causing it to emit a green light. The difference between the two organisms is color; A. macrodactyla is brighter, and bolder in color. This is due to a difference in intron length in GFP. [3]

References

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  1. ^ "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Aequorea macrodactyla (Brandt, 1835)". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2021-04-25.
  2. ^ Milisen, Jeff (2020). A Field Guide to Blackwater Diving in Hawaii. Honolulu, Hawaii: Mutual Publishing. p. 40. ISBN 9781949307146.
  3. ^ Xia, Ning-Shao; Luo, Wen-Xin; Zhang, Jun; Xie, Xiao-Yan; Yang, Hai-Jie; Li, Shao-Wei; Chen, Ming; Ng, Mun-Hon (2002-03-01). "Bioluminescence of Aequorea macrodactyla, a Common Jellyfish Species in the East China Sea". Marine Biotechnology. 4 (2): 155–162. doi:10.1007/s10126-001-0081-7. ISSN 1436-2228.