Aequorea victoria

Aequorea victoria

Aequorea victoria is a jellyfish from the Pacific Ocean, which is found in the North American coast from California to Vancouver. It feeds mainly on crustaceans, but can also eat other comb jellyfish.

The size of the bell body of the jellyfish in the adult state, depending on environmental conditions and habitat from 8 to 20 cm. These jellyfish belongs to the family Aequoreidae. It is all their fellows as mainly driven by the current. Since waste materials that have fallen into the ocean, are disseminated with these currents, jellyfish an increased concentration of pollutants are exposed.

Aequorea victoria have bright fluorescent points around the margin of the bell body. The components required for this bioluminescence, comprising a Ca2 -activated photoprotein, known as aequorin that emits a blue light. In addition, transfer of the green fluorescent protein aequorin on energy Förster resonance energy transfer, which is responsible for a green glow. The light is produced in the jellyfish in more than 100 thin light -producing organs that surround the outer bell body.

Application

The fluorescent protein from Aequorea victoria is mainly used in molecular biology, in many cases as a reporter gene. The genes for green fluorescent protein (GFP) and aequorin have been isolated and cloned, and may be prepared by genetic engineering.

In 2008, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for " the discovery and development of green fluorescent protein " Osamu Shimomura to, Martin Chalfie and Roger Tsien were awarded.