[Determination of biological substances using bioluminescent reaction based on luciferin-luciferase].

Firefly luciferase catalyzes the oxidation of luciferin in the presence of ATP, magnesium ions and molecular oxygen, with a high quantum yield. Due to its high sensitivity and specificity for ATP, luciferase has been used for bioluminescent detection of ATP in various biological samples. However, it has not been well determined how to apply it in immunoassay. In this article, the use of various enzymes as labels in the design and development of immunoassays, and the combination of PCR/novel bioluminescent pyrophosphate assay, for detecting biomolecules is reviewed.