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Exploring Bioluminescence: Nature's Illuminating Chemistry

Bioluminescence is light produced by a chemical reaction found in organisms like fireflies, anglerfish, and mushrooms. The process involves luciferin oxidizing, releasing energy in the form of photons. This phenomenon, with little heat loss, has various applications, from tracking tumor development to monitoring environmental toxins.

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Exploring Bioluminescence: Nature's Illuminating Chemistry

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Presentation Transcript

  1. Bioluminescence

  2. What is it? • Light as a result of a chemical reaction • Common examples: fireflies, anglerfish, mushrooms • Luminescent bacteria: basic luminescent organism to work with

  3. The Mechanism • Light produced by oxidation of luciferin catalyzed by luciferase in the presence of ATP • Luciferin, when oxidized, degrades to coelenteramide and releases energy in the form of a photon • Luciferin, luciferase general terms • Little to no heat loss

  4. Why use bioluminescence? • Aspects that make bioluminescence helpful to work with • Luciferase genes can be inserted into organisms • The reaction uses ATP, provides a useful gauge of ATP concentration • Produces light!

  5. What has been done? • Genes have been synthesized, inserted into mice, silkworms, potatoes, monkey cells • Luciferase gene modification • Gene contains 6 introns, all <60 bases • Has been modified to express 2x luciferase • http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=365129 • Detection of living Salmonella cells • http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19169891 • GloFish

  6. Bioluminescent assays • Targets such as kinases, proteases, apoptosis • Detection of ATP allows analysis of cell metabolism and enzymatic processes • http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17355205 • Whole animal imaging • Different types of cells (bone marrow stem cells, T-cells) can express firefly luciferase • Allows imaging; can be used to track tumor development • http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/63/21/7042 • http://www.promega.com/pnotes/100/16620_22/16620_22.pdf

  7. Ideas From Wikipedia

  8. Crazy • Solar-powered light sources • Plants already create ATP from photosynthesis • Could use ATP for luminescence at night • Applications include city lighting, nightlights & Christmas lights, art • Living houses? Fab tree hab?

  9. Interesting • Modify bacteria to monitor chemical levels • Bioluminescent bacteria (e.coli) modified to be selective towards certain toxins • Luminometer returns toxin levels • Useful for environmental toxin monitoring

  10. Interesting • Detect presence of certain chemicals (harmful, maybe pollutants?) • Insert luciferase gene into an organism that thrives under and indicates certain conditions (ie algae and phosphorus?)

  11. Safe • Luminescent bacteria tags • Insert luciferase gene into symbiotic bacteria that can live in certain organisms • Uses: track pests, non-native species, etc.

  12. Safe • Life-spanned messages/patterns/pictures • Grow luminescent cells/bacteria on a plate • Will only grow/glow as long as they have nutrients • Will lose luminescence when nutrients run out

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