On the quenching of bacterial luminescence by dyes

It was shown that the addition of dyes (sodium fluorescein, rhodamine 6G, u nsubstituted rhodamine) to a bienzymic reaction mixture. (luciferin-lucifer ase. complex): leads to a decrease: in fluorescence intensity and the appea rance of the dye fluorescence band. A similar effect was observed when the luciferin-luciferase complex and dye molecules were separated by distances considerably. exceeding the Forster radius of transfer. It is assumed that the mechanism of dye. fluorescence is not related to the excitation energy resonance transfer but is based on the excitation of dye molecules due to d irect absorption of quanta of bacterial bioluminescence.