Changes in the in vivo luminescence, respiratory activities, contents of cytochromes, extractable luciferase and NAD(P)H-FMN reductase during growth of the wild (bright) strain of Photobacterium phosphoreum and its dim mutant were determined. The intensity of the in vivo luminescence per cell increased 10 times in the wild strain and 750 times in the dim strain during logarithmic growth, while the contents of luciferase and NAD(P)H-FMN reductase remained almost constant. It is suggested that a characteristic change in the mode of competition of the luminescence reaction system with another electron transfer chain involving cytochromes for NAD(P)H take place during the growth of this bacterium.