title: Luciferase a light source for the silica-based optical waveguides (spicules) in the demosponge Suberites domuncula.
abstract: Two classes of sponges (animal phylum Porifera) possess a siliceous skeleton which is composed of spicules. Studying the optical fiber-mechanical properties of large spicules from hexactinellid sponges (> 5 cm) it was demonstrated that they are effective light-collecting optical fibers. Here, we report that the demosponge Suberites domuncula is provided with a biosensor system composed of the (organic) light producing luciferase and the (inorganic) light transducing silica spicules. The light transmission feature of these smaller spicules (200 microm) has been demonstrated and the ability of sponge tissue to generate light has been proven. Screening for a luciferase gene in S. domuncula was successful; the recombinant luciferase was prepared and shown to be bioactive. The luciferase protein is abundantly present in the close neighborhood of the spicules. The expression of the luciferase gene is under the control of light.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Physiologische Chemie, Abteilung Angewandte Molekularbiologie, Universität, Duesbergweg 6, D-55099 Mainz, Germany. wmueller@uni-mainz.de
authors.forename: W E G
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kasueske
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Schröder
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pisignano
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wiens
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D015374:Biosensing Techniques; D008027:Light; D008156:Luciferases / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008164:Luminescent Proteins / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D010802:Phylogeny; D011161:Porifera / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D012822:Silicon Dioxide; D008156:Luciferases