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Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol

Title:		"Firefly luciferase genes from the subfamilies Psilocladinae and Ototretinae (Lampyridae, Coleoptera)"
Author(s):		Oba Y; Yoshida M; Shintani T; Furuhashi M; Inouye S;
Address:		"Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan. oba@agr.nagoya-u.ac.jp"
Journal Title:		Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol
Year:		2012
Volume:		20111010
Issue:		2
Page Number:		110 - 116
DOI:		10.1016/j.cbpb.2011.10.001
ISSN/ISBN:		1879-1107 (Electronic) 1096-4959 (Linking)
Abstract:		"Firefly luciferase genes have been isolated from approximately 20 species of Lampyrinae, Luciolinae, and Photurinae. These are mostly nocturnal luminescent species that use light signals for sexual communication. In this study, we isolated three cDNAs for firefly luciferase from Psilocladinae (Cyphonocerus ruficollis) and Ototretinae (Drilaster axillaris and Stenocladius azumai), which are diurnal non-luminescent or weakly luminescent species that may use pheromones for communication. The amino acid sequences deduced from the three cDNAs showed 81-89% identities to each other and 60-81% identities with known firefly luciferases. The three purified recombinant proteins showed luminescence and fatty acyl-CoA synthetic activities, as observed in other firefly luciferases. The emission maxima by the three firefly luciferases (lambdamax, 545-546nm) were shorter than those by known luciferases from the nocturnal fireflies (lambdamax, 550-568nm). These results suggest that the primary structures and enzymatic properties of luciferases are conserved in Lampyridae, but the luminescence colors were red-shifted in nocturnal species compared to diurnal species"
Keywords:		"Acyl Coenzyme A/chemistry Amino Acid Sequence Animals Cloning, Molecular Coenzyme A Ligases/chemistry/genetics Conserved Sequence Fireflies/*enzymology/genetics Luciferases, Firefly/chemistry/*genetics Luminescence Male Molecular Sequence Data Phylogeny R;"
Notes:		"MedlineOba, Yuichi Yoshida, Mayumi Shintani, Takeru Furuhashi, Mana Inouye, Satoshi eng England 2011/10/20 Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol. 2012 Feb; 161(2):110-6. doi: 10.1016/j.cbpb.2011.10.001. Epub 2011 Oct 10"