Molecular biology of bacterial bioluminescence

Abstract

The cloning and expression of the lux genes from different luminescent bacteria including marine and terrestrial species have led to significant advances in our knowledge of the molecular biology of bacterial bioluminescence. All lux operons have a common gene organization of luxCDAB(F)E, with luxAB coding for luciferase and luxCDE coding for the fatty acid reductase complex responsible for synthesizing fatty aldehydes for the luminescence reaction, whereas significant differences exist in their sequences and properties as well as in the presence of other lux genes (I, R, F, G, and H). Recognition of the regulatory genes as well as diffusible metabolites that control the growth-dependent induction of luminescence (autoinducers) in some species has advanced our understanding of this unique regulatory mechanism in which the autoinducers appear to serve as sensors of the chemical or nutritional environment. The lux genes have now been transferred into a variety of different organisms to generate new luminescent species. Naturally dark bacteria containing the luxCDABE and luxAB genes, respectively, are luminescent or emit light on addition of aldehyde. Fusion of the luxAB genes has also allowed the expression of luciferase under a single promoter in eukaryotic systems. The ability to express the lux genes in a variety of prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms and the ease and sensitivity of the luminescence assay demonstrate the considerable potential of the widespread application of the lux genes as reporters of gene expression and metabolic function.

Live-Cell Systems in Real-Time Biomonitoring of Water Pollution: Practical Considerations and Future Perspectives

“…In contrast, the recombinant DNA technology provides unique abilities to create analyte and/or biological effect-specific strains of popular E. coli bacteria when specific promoters are fused into a plasmid with the luciferase genes [14,16]. In this construct, the promoter controls the inducible expression of luciferase [14,71]. A low baseline lu-minescence output increases rapidly upon sensing the target effect or analyte (switch on).…”

Luciferins Under Construction: A Review of Known Biosynthetic Pathways

“…One of the most important features of the bacterial bioluminescence system lies in the fact that the full pathway of luciferin biosynthesis and bioluminescence is encoded by a single lux operon (Meighen, 1991), containing genes for bacterial luciferase, consisting of two polypeptide chains (heterodimers luxA and luxB), along with genes luxC, D, and E encoding fatty-acid luciferin reductase complex responsible for the synthesis of the long chain aldehyde substrate and luxG encoding a flavin oxidoreductase (Nijvipakul et al, 2008). In addition to luxCDABE(G) gene cluster, a number of bioluminescent Photobacteria carry an additional luxF gene, showing a limited identity to luxAB encoding bacterial luciferases (Brodl et al, 2020).…”

Mechanisms of aerobic dechlorination of hexachlorobenzene and pentachlorophenol by <i>Nocardioides</i> sp. PD653

“…Although bacteria utilize TC-FDM family enzymes for a diverse range of reactions, including bioluminescence, 30) oxidation of aromatic compounds, 31) degradation of chelating agents, 32) desulphurization of sulfonated compounds, 33) and biosynthesis of antibiotics, 34) these enzymes are all characterized by a common feature: TC-FDM systems comprise a flavin-dependent monooxygenase and partner reductase components. In these systems, the reductase enzyme generates reduced flavins via the reduction of oxidized flavin, with the reducing equivalents being provided by a pyridine nucleotide.…”