Bioluminescence of a firefly pupa: involvement of a luciferase isotype in the dim glow of pupae and eggs in the Japanese firefly, Luciola lateralis.

We isolated cDNA for a luciferase isotype, LlLuc2, from the ovary of the Japanese firefly, Luciola lateralis. The gene product LlLuc2 showed 59% amino acid identity with LlLuc1, which had been isolated from the adult L. lateralis lantern.