Recombinant Metridia luciferase isoforms: expression, refolding and applicability for in vitro assay.

The recombinant coelenterazine-dependent luciferases (isoforms MLuc164 and MLuc39) from the marine copepod Metridia longa were expressed as inclusion bodies in E. coli cells, dissolved in 6 M guanidinium chloride and folded in conditions developed for proteins containing intramolecular disulfide bonds. One of them (MLuc39) was obtained in an active monomeric form with a high yield.

Violet and greenish photoprotein obelin mutants for reporter applications in dual-color assay.

Two kinds of Ca(2+)-regulated photoprotein obelin with altered color of bioluminescence were obtained by active-center amino acid substitution. The mutant W92F-H22E emits violet light (lambda(max) = 390 nm) and the mutant Y139F emits greenish light (lambda(max) = 498 nm), with small spectral overlap, both display high activity and stability and thus may be used as reporters. For demonstration, the mutants were applied in dual-color simultaneous immunoassay of two gonadotropic hormones-follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone.