Novel heterocyclic analogues of firefly luciferin.

Five novel firefly luciferin analogues in which the benzothiazole ring system of the natural substrate was replaced with benzimidazole, benzofuran, benzothiophene, benzoxazole, and indole were synthesized. The fluorescence, bioluminescence, and kinetic properties of the compounds were evaluated with recombinant Photinus pyralis wild type luciferase. With the exception of indole, all of the substrates containing heterocycle substitutions produced readily measurable flashes of light with luciferase.

Bioluminescence is produced from a trapped firefly luciferase conformation predicted by the domain alternation mechanism.

According to the domain alternation mechanism and crystal structure evidence, the acyl-CoA synthetases, one of three subgroups of a superfamily of adenylating enzymes, catalyze adenylate- and thioester-forming half-reactions in two different conformations. The enzymes accomplish this by presenting two active sites through an ~140° rotation of the C-domain. The second half-reaction catalyzed by another subgroup, the beetle luciferases, is a mechanistically dissimilar oxidative process that produces bioluminescence.

Sequential bioluminescence resonance energy transfer-fluorescence resonance energy transfer-based ratiometric protease assays with fusion proteins of firefly luciferase and red fluorescent protein.

We report here the preparation of ratiometric luminescent probes that contain two well-separated emission peaks produced by a sequential bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET)-fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) process. The probes are single soluble fusion proteins consisting of a thermostable firefly luciferase variant that catalyze yellow-green (560nm maximum) bioluminescence and a red fluorescent protein covalently labeled with a near-infrared fluorescent dye. The two proteins are connected by a decapeptide containing a protease recognition site specific for factor Xa, thrombin, or caspase 3.

Chemically modified firefly luciferase is an efficient source of near-infrared light.

Bioluminescence and bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) are two naturally occurring light emission phenomena that have been adapted to a wide variety of important research applications including in vivo imaging and enzyme assays. The luciferase enzyme from the North American firefly, which produces yellow-green light, is a key component of many of these applications. Recognizing the heightened interest in the potential of near-infrared (nIR) light to improve these technologies, we have demonstrated that spectral emissions with maxima of 705 and 783 nm can be efficiently produced by a firefly luciferase variant covalently labeled with nIR fluorescent dyes.

Mutagenesis evidence that the partial reactions of firefly bioluminescence are catalyzed by different conformations of the luciferase C-terminal domain.

Firefly luciferase catalyzes two sequential partial reactions resulting in the emission of light. The enzyme first catalyzes the adenylation of substrate luciferin with Mg-ATP followed by the multistep oxidation of the adenylate to form the light emitter oxyluciferin in an electronically excited state. The beetle luciferases are members of a large superfamily, mainly comprised of nonbioluminescent enzymes that activate carboxylic acid substrates to form acyl-adenylate intermediates.