Photobacterium phosphoreum

Photobacterium phosphoreum
Scientific classification
Domain: Bacteria
Kingdom: Pseudomonadati
Phylum: Pseudomonadota
Class: Gammaproteobacteria
Order: Vibrionales
Family: Vibrionaceae
Genus: Photobacterium
Species:
P. phosphoreum
Binomial name
Photobacterium phosphoreum
(Cohn 1878) Beijerinck 1889 (Approved Lists 1980)
Synonyms
  • Vibrio phosphoreum

Photobacterium phosphoreum is a Gram-negative, bioluminescent bacterium living in symbiosis with deep-sea marine organisms, such as anglerfish. It can emit bluish-green light (490 nm) due to a chemical reaction between FMN, luciferin and molecular oxygen catalysed by an enzyme called luciferase.