High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Luciferase is a generic term for the class of oxidative enzymes used in bioluminescence and is distinct from a photoprotein. One famous example is the firefly luciferase (EC 1.13.12.7) from the firefly Photinus pyralis. "Firefly luciferase" as a laboratory reagent usually refers to P. pyralis luciferase although recombinant luciferases from several other species of fireflies are also commercially available. The name is derived from Lucifer, the root of which means `light-bearer` (lucem ferre).