aequorin

[ ee-kwawr-in, ee-kwor- ]

noun

, Biochemistry, Histology.

1. a protein, secreted by certain jellyfish, that produces a blue light upon binding with calcium.

Word History and Origins

Origin of aequorin¹

1965–70; < New Latin Aequor ( ea ) a genus of jellyfish that produces such a protein ( Latin: feminine of aequoreus of the sea, equivalent to aequor level surface, the sea + -eus -eous ) + -in ²

Example Sentences

In the face of scepticism from Johnson and others, Shimomura determined that the luminescent substance was a protein; he named it aequorin.

From Nature

Until a way of making genetically engineered aequorin became available in the 1990s, Shimomura freely shared his carefully harvested stocks with laboratories the world over.

From Nature

It was in the process of purifying aequorin that Shimomura discovered small amounts of GFP, which fluoresces green when aequorin emits its blue light.

From Nature

The first and most promising protein, aequorin, was later used as an indicator for calcium.

From Washington Post

“I didn’t know much about molecular biology or organic chemistry, so it didn’t matter to me which specialty I would study. I thought Professor Hirata’s words might be the direction given by heaven, and I decided to go to his lab. It seems that this decision determined my future, directing me to the studies of bioluminescence, aequorin and green fluorescent protein.”

From Washington Post