How Synthetic Biology Will Reconsider Natural Bioluminescence and Its Applications

Abstract

As our understanding of natural biological systems grows, so too does our ability to alter and rebuild them. Synthetic biology is the application of engineering principles to biology in order to design and construct novel biological systems for specific applications. Bioluminescent organisms offer a treasure trove of light-emitting enzymes that may have applications in many areas of bioengineering, from biosensors to lighting. A few select bioluminescent organisms have been well researched and the molecular and genetic basis of their luminescent abilities elucidated, with work underway to understand the basis of luminescence in many others. Synthetic biology will aim to package these light-emitting systems as self-contained biological modules, characterize their properties, and then optimize them for use in other chassis organisms. As this catalog of biological parts grows, synthetic biologists will be able to engineer complex biological systems with the ability to emit light. These may use luminescence for an array of disparate functions, from providing illumination to conveying information or allowing communication between organisms.

Transgenesis of Bioluminescence (BL) Gene and Its Potential Use for Malaria Residual Transmission Issue and Other Vector Borne Diseases: New Considerations for Vector and Vector Borne Diseases (VBD) Control

“…Our consideration is to promote studies and implementation of transgenesis in the targeted Anopheles population of the bioluminescent gene [19,20,21] which allows the well-known light of fireflies [22,23,24,25,26] or the GPF of jellyfish [27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38] and therefore to actually study the "outdoor population", in identifying their presence with the flight of such modified bioluminescent mosquitoes such as the nocturnal flight of fireflies.…”

Glowing Plants Can Light Up the Night Sky? A Review

“…To produce as much light as tranditional streetlights, glowing plants have to output more than 1000 lumens by the transformed firefly bioluminescent system. It was estimated that a fast-grow tree glowing with the firefly luciferase-luciferin pairs only have to divert approximately 0.3 % of the stored energy to generate bright-enough bioluminesence during the nighttime (Reeve et al, 2014). In addition to producing light, planterns are also leveraged for whole-plant imaging and studying spatiotemporal expression of genes during the entire life-cycle, for limitations on delivering exogenous luciferin to the whole plant and tissue would no longer be a bottleneck (Reuter et al, 2020).…”

Glowing plants can light up the night sky? A review

“…To produce as much light as traditional streetlights, the glowing plants have to output more than 1000 lumens by the transformed firefly bioluminescent system. It was estimated that a fast‐grown tree glowing with the firefly luciferase‐luciferin pairs only have to divert approximately 0.3% of the stored energy to generate bright‐enough bioluminescence during the night (Reeve et al, 2014). In addition to producing light, “planterns” are also leveraged for whole‐plant imaging and studying spatiotemporal expression of genes during the entire life‐cycle, the limitations on delivering exogenous luciferin to the whole plant and tissue would no longer be a bottleneck (Reuter et al, 2020).…”