Abstract

GLOWING GENES: THAT LIGHT THE NIGHT

Kirti Dahigaonkar*, Qamrunnisa Abdul Wahid Shaikh, Heena Riyaz Sayyed, Sana Firoz Bagwan, Rais Imrooz Mohammed Sikander Kasar, Pratibha Jadhav, Jaspal Kaur Oberoi

Abstract

Can plant glow and replace other sources of light? Yes plants can! by using bioluminescence genes. Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by a living organism. It occurs widely in marine vertebrates and invertebrates as well as in some fungi, including some bioluminescent microbes and terrestrial invertebrates such as fireflies. Bioluminescence or.ganisms uses luciferase enzyme. There are different sources of luciferase enzyme such as fireflies luciferase(FLUC), sea pansy luciferase (RLUC), bacterial luciferase(luxAB), click beetle luciferase(CbLUC). Various plant species in which luciferase reporters have been successfully utilized: Arabidopsis thaliana (FLUC and RLUC genes), Nicotianatabacum (FLUC genes), Daucuscarota (luxAB genes). Traditional modes of electric lighting can be a living source of biological light which reduces the ecological impact of lighting. Which represent 19% of global electric consumption and 5% of CO2emission, visual pollution and luminous pollution. It is not to entirely replace electric light with bioluminescence but to use it as an alternative solution able to reinvent uses of light. From the above discussion we can conclude that bioluminescent organisms can be inserted in plants and can be used as a source of light. Our goal is to change the way we produce and use light. We want to offer a global solution that will reduced the 19% of electricity consumption used to produced light.

Keywords: lux and luc receptor genes, light emission, bioluminescent microbes, gene expression, luciferase enzyme, transgenic plant.