Expression of the nos gene and firefly flashing: a test of the nitric-oxide-mediated flash control model.

ABSTRACT: Fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) emit various types of light that differ among species and populations of the same species. Their lights are assumed to be biological properties that play important ecological and evolutionary roles. Some species in the Lampyridae emit periodic luminescence, the patterns of which are characterized by species-specific intervals. In previous work, it was predicted that the nitric oxide (NO) regulates the oxygen supply required for the bioluminescence reaction of fireflies. Here, the expression of the NO synthase (NOS) mRNA in some fireflies was examined to verify the predictive model of nitric-oxide-mediated flash control in these insects. The expression of the nos gene in the lantern organ was observed not only in nocturnal flashing species but also in diur

SUBMITTER: Ohtsuki H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4207525 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature