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Amaral DT, Bonatelli IAS. Opsin diversity and evolution in the Elateroidea superfamily: Insights from transcriptome data. INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2024; 33:112-123. [PMID: 37837289 DOI: 10.1111/imb.12881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023]
Abstract
Vision plays a vital biological role in organisms, which depends on the visual pigment molecules (opsin plus chromophore). The expansion or reduction of spectral channels in the organisms is determined by distinct opsin classes and copy numbers resulting from duplication or loss. Within Coleoptera, the superfamily Elateroidea exhibits a great diversity of morphological and physiological characteristics, such as bioluminescence, making this group an important model for opsin studies. While molecular and physiological studies have been conducted in Lampyridae and Elateridae, other families remain unexplored. Here, we reused transcriptome datasets from Elateroidea species, including members of Elateridae, Lampyridae, Phengodidae, Rhagophthalmidae, Cantharidae, and Lycidae, to detect the diversity of putative opsin genes in this superfamily. In addition, we tested the signature of sites under positive selection in both ultraviolet (UV)- and long-wavelength (LW)-opsin classes. Although the visual system in Elateroidea is considered simple, we observed events of duplication in LW- and UV-opsin, as well as the absence of UV-opsin in distinct families, such as larval Phengodidae individuals. We detected different copies of LW-opsins that were highly expressed in the eyes of distinct tribes of fireflies, indicating the possible selection of each copy during the evolution of the sexual mating to avoid spectrum overlapping. In Elateridae, we found that the bioluminescent species had a distinct LW-opsin copy compared with the non-bioluminescent species, suggesting events of duplication and loss. The signature of positive selection showed only one residue associated with the chromophore binding site in the Elateroidea, which may produce a bathochromic shift in the wavelength absorption spectra in this family. Overall, this study brings important content and fills gaps regarding opsin evolution in Elateroidea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danilo T Amaral
- Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas, Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC), São Paulo, Brazil
- Programa de Pós Graduação em Biotecnociências, Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Isabel A S Bonatelli
- Departamento de Ecologia e Biologia Evolutiva, Químicas e Farmacêuticas, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Instituto de Ciências Ambientais, Diadema, Brazil
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Lall AB, Viviani VR, Ventura DF. Spectral tuning of bioluminescence and visual sensitivity in males of Brazilian firefly species inhabiting dim light environments (Coleoptera: Elateroidea: Lampyridae). JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY. PART A, ECOLOGICAL AND INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 339:37-45. [PMID: 35971806 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Revised: 06/12/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Bioluminescence in fireflies is essential for sexual communication, and each species has evolved a specific bioluminescence emission capable of being detected by its visual system. This spectral "tuning" between visual sensitivity and bioluminescent emission has been established in 14 species of North American fireflies inhabiting diverse photoecological niches. Here we extend that research to three Brazilian species. Macrolampis omissa inhabits the Cerrado (savannas), while Photinus sp1 and Pyrogaster moestus are often sympatric species inhabiting borders of mesophyll rain forests and secondary growth. P. moestus particularly favors humid areas of the forest. M. omissa and Photinus sp1 are twilight-active fireflies emitting yellow bioluminescence. P. moestus is a "twi-night" species emitting green bioluminescence. It initiates flashing at the end of twilight and continues activity into the night. The visual spectral sensitivity of dark-adapted compound eyes in these three species is similar, showing a maximum in the yellow-green wavelengths and a secondary peak in the near-UV, suggesting the presence of two receptors. The bioluminescence emission spectrum in each species is tuned to its yellow-green visual sensitivity peak. Green chromatic adaptation experiments on Photinus sp1 and P. moestus suggest the presence of a blue receptor. The presence of near-UV, blue, and long-wavelength receptors in the compound eyes would enable a trichromatic color vision in Brazilian firefly species active in dim illumination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abner B Lall
- Department of Biology, Howard University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Vadim R Viviani
- Departamento de Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics, CCTS, Campus of Sorocaba, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, Sorocaba, SP CEP, Brazil
| | - Dora Fix Ventura
- Departamento de Psicologia Experimental, Instituto de Psicologia, Universidade de São Paulo, DFV, São Paulo, SP CEP, Brazil
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Liu YJ. Understanding the complete bioluminescence cycle from a multiscale computational perspective: A review. JOURNAL OF PHOTOCHEMISTRY AND PHOTOBIOLOGY C: PHOTOCHEMISTRY REVIEWS 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jphotochemrev.2022.100537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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Amaral DT, Johnson CH, Viviani VR. RNA-Seq analysis of the blue light-emitting Orfelia fultoni (Diptera: Keroplatidae) suggest photoecological adaptations at the molecular level. COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY. PART D, GENOMICS & PROTEOMICS 2021; 39:100840. [PMID: 34022525 PMCID: PMC8495875 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbd.2021.100840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2020] [Revised: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Bioluminescence in Diptera is found in the Keroplatidae family, within Arachnocampininae and Keroplatinae subfamilies, with reported occurrences in Oceania, Eurasia, and Americas. Larvae of Orfelia fultoni, which inhabit stream banks in the Appalachian Mountains, emit the bluest bioluminescence among insects, using it for prey attraction, similarly to Arachnocampa spp. Although bioluminescence has a similar prey attraction function, the systems of Arachonocampininae and Keroplatinae subfamilies are morphologically/biochemically distinct, indicating different evolutionary origins. To identify the possible coding genes associated with physiological control, ecological adaptations, and origin/evolution of bioluminescence in the Keroplatinae subfamily, we performed the RNA-Seq analysis of O. fultoni larvae during day and night and compared it with the transcriptomes of Arachnocampa luminosa, and reanalyzed the previously published proteomic data of O. fultoni against the RNA-Seq dataset. The abundance of chaperones/heat-shock and hexamerin gene products at night and in luciferase enriched fractions supports their possible association and participation in bioluminescence. The low diversity of copies/families of opsins indicate a simpler visual system in O. fultoni. Noteworthy, gene products associated with silk protein biosynthesis in Orfelia were more similar to Lepidoptera than to the Arachnocampa, indicating that, similarly to the bioluminescent systems, at some point, the biochemical apparatus for web construction may have evolved independently in Orfelia and Arachnocampa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danilo T Amaral
- Graduate School of Biotechnology and Environmental Monitoring (UFSCar), Sorocaba, SP, Brazil
| | - Carl H Johnson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
| | - Vadim R Viviani
- Graduate School of Biotechnology and Environmental Monitoring (UFSCar), Sorocaba, SP, Brazil; Graduate School of Evolutive Genetics and Molecular Biology, Federal Univ. São Carlos (UFSCar), São Carlos, SP, Brazil.
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Bi WX, He* JW, Chen CC, Kundrata R, Li XY. Sinopyrophorinae, a new subfamily of Elateridae (Coleoptera, Elateroidea) with the first record of a luminous click beetle in Asia and evidence for multiple origins of bioluminescence in Elateridae. Zookeys 2019; 864:79-97. [PMID: 31363346 PMCID: PMC6656784 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.864.26689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2018] [Accepted: 05/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The new subfamily Sinopyrophorinae within Elateridae is proposed to accommodate a bioluminescent species, Sinopyrophorusschimmeli Bi & Li, gen. et sp. nov., recently discovered in Yunnan, China. This lineage is morphologically distinguished from other click-beetle subfamilies by the strongly protruding frontoclypeal region, which is longitudinally carinate medially, the pretarsal claws without basal setae, the hind wing venation with a well-defined wedge cell, the abdomen with seven (male) or six (female) ventrites, the large luminous organ on the abdominal sternite II, and the male genitalia with median lobe much shorter than parameres, and parameres arcuate, with the inner margin near its apical third dentate. Molecular phylogeny based on the combined 14 mitochondrial and two nuclear genes supports the placement of this taxon far from other luminescent click-beetle groups, which provides additional evidence for the multiple origin of bioluminescence in Elateridae. Illustrations of habitus and main diagnostic features of S.schimmeli Bi & Li, gen. et sp. nov. are provided, as well as the brief description of its luminescent behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Xuan Bi
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China
- Room 401, No. 2, Lane 155, Lianhua South Road, Shanghai, 201100, China
| | - Jin-Wu He*
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China
| | - Chang-Chin Chen
- NPS office, Tianjin New Wei San Industrial Company, Ltd., Tianjing, China
| | - Robin Kundrata
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Palacky University, 17. listopadu 50, 77146, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Xue-Yan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China
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Phylogenomic analyses and divergence time estimation of Elateroidea (Coleoptera) based on RNA-Seq data. COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY D-GENOMICS & PROTEOMICS 2019; 30:283-289. [PMID: 30991174 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbd.2019.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2019] [Revised: 03/29/2019] [Accepted: 04/02/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Bioluminescence, the emission of visible light in a living organism, is an intriguing phenomenon observed in different species and environments. In terrestrial organisms, the bioluminescence is observed mainly in beetles of the Elateroidea superfamily (Coleoptera). Several phylogenetic studies have been used different strategies to propose a scenario for the origin and evolution of the bioluminescence within this group, however some of them showed incongruences, mainly about the relationship of the bioluminescent families. In order to increase the number of molecular markers available for Elateroidea species and to propose a more accurate phylogeny, with high supported topology, we employed the Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) methodology to perform the RNA-Seq analysis of luminescent (Elateridae, Phengodidae, Rhagophthalmidae, and Lampyridae) and non-luminescent (Cantharidae) species of Neotropical beetles. We used the RNA-Seq data to construct a calibrated phylogeny of Elateroidea superfamily using a large number of nuclear molecular markers. The results indicate Lampyridae and Phengodidae/Rhagophthalmidae as sister-groups, suggesting that the bioluminescence evolved later in Elateridae than other families (Lampyridae, Phengodidae, and Rhagophthalmidae), and indicating the Upper Cretaceous as the period for the main diversification of Elateroidea bioluminescent species.
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BECHARA ETELVINOJ, STEVANI CASSIUSV. Brazilian Bioluminescent Beetles: Reflections on Catching Glimpses of Light in the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 90:663-679. [DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765201820170504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2017] [Accepted: 08/11/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Affiliation(s)
- Dennis E. Desjardin
- Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California 94132, USA
| | - Marina Capelari
- Instituto de Botânica, Caixa Postal 4005, 01061-970 São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Cassius Stevani
- Instituto de Química da Universidade de São Paulo, Caixa Postal 26077, 05599-970, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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Amaral DT, Oliveira G, Silva JR, Viviani VR. A new orange emitting luciferase from the Southern-Amazon Pyrophorus angustus (Coleoptera: Elateridae) click-beetle: structure and bioluminescence color relationship, evolutional and ecological considerations. Photochem Photobiol Sci 2016; 15:1148-1154. [PMID: 27454752 DOI: 10.1039/c6pp00165c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Bioluminescent click-beetles display a wide variation of bioluminescence colors ranging from green to orange, including an unusual intra-specific color variation in the Jamaican Pyrophorus plagiophthalamus. Recently, we collected individuals of the Pyrophorus angustus species from the Southern Amazon forest, in Brazil, which displays an orange light emitting abdominal lantern. This species was also previously described from Central America, but displaying a bioluminescence spectrum from 536 nm (dorsal) to 578 nm (ventral). The biogeographic variation of the bioluminescence color in this species could be an adaptation to environmental reflectance and inter/intraspecific sexual competition. Here, we cloned, sequenced, characterized and performed site-direct mutagenesis of this new orange emitting luciferase. The in vitro luciferase spectrum displayed a peak at 594 nm, KM values for ATP and d-luciferin of 160 μM and 17 μM, respectively, and an optimum pH of approximately 8.5. Comparative multialignment and site-directed mutagenesis using different color emitting click-beetle luciferases from P. angustus, Fulgeochlizus bruchi and Pyrearinus termitilluminans luciferases cloned by our group showed an integral role of residue 247 in bioluminescence color modulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danilo T Amaral
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biotechnology of Bioluminescence, Graduate Program of Biotechnology and Environmental Monitoring, Department of Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics, Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), Campus of Sorocaba, Sorocaba, SP, Brazil. and Department of Evolutive Genetics and Molecular Biology, Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Gabriela Oliveira
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biotechnology of Bioluminescence, Graduate Program of Biotechnology and Environmental Monitoring, Department of Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics, Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), Campus of Sorocaba, Sorocaba, SP, Brazil. and Department of Evolutive Genetics and Molecular Biology, Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Jaqueline R Silva
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biotechnology of Bioluminescence, Graduate Program of Biotechnology and Environmental Monitoring, Department of Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics, Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), Campus of Sorocaba, Sorocaba, SP, Brazil. and Department of Evolutive Genetics and Molecular Biology, Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Vadim R Viviani
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biotechnology of Bioluminescence, Graduate Program of Biotechnology and Environmental Monitoring, Department of Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics, Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), Campus of Sorocaba, Sorocaba, SP, Brazil. and Department of Evolutive Genetics and Molecular Biology, Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), São Carlos, SP, Brazil
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Lord NP, Plimpton RL, Sharkey CR, Suvorov A, Lelito JP, Willardson BM, Bybee SM. A cure for the blues: opsin duplication and subfunctionalization for short-wavelength sensitivity in jewel beetles (Coleoptera: Buprestidae). BMC Evol Biol 2016; 16:107. [PMID: 27193495 PMCID: PMC4870758 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-016-0674-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2015] [Accepted: 04/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Arthropods have received much attention as a model for studying opsin evolution in invertebrates. Yet, relatively few studies have investigated the diversity of opsin proteins that underlie spectral sensitivity of the visual pigments within the diverse beetles (Insecta: Coleoptera). Previous work has demonstrated that beetles appear to lack the short-wavelength-sensitive (SWS) opsin class that typically confers sensitivity to the “blue” region of the light spectrum. However, this is contrary to established physiological data in a number of Coleoptera. To explore potential adaptations at the molecular level that may compensate for the loss of the SWS opsin, we carried out an exploration of the opsin proteins within a group of beetles (Buprestidae) where short-wave sensitivity has been demonstrated. RNA-seq data were generated to identify opsin proteins from nine taxa comprising six buprestid species (including three male/female pairs) across four subfamilies. Structural analyses of recovered opsins were conducted and compared to opsin sequences in other insects across the main opsin classes—ultraviolet, short-wavelength, and long-wavelength. Results All nine buprestids were found to express two opsin copies in each of the ultraviolet and long-wavelength classes, contrary to the single copies recovered in all other molecular studies of adult beetle opsin expression. No SWS opsin class was recovered. Furthermore, the male Agrilus planipennis (emerald ash borer—EAB) expressed a third LWS opsin at low levels that is presumed to be a larval copy. Subsequent homology and structural analyses identified multiple amino acid substitutions in the UVS and LWS copies that could confer short-wavelength sensitivity. Conclusions This work is the first to compare expressed opsin genes against known electrophysiological data that demonstrate multiple peak sensitivities in Coleoptera. We report the first instance of opsin duplication in adult beetles, which occurs in both the UVS and LWS opsin classes. Through structural comparisons of known insect opsins, we suggest that opsin duplication and amino acid variation within the chromophore binding pocket explains sensitivity in the short-wavelength portion of the visible light spectrum in these species. These findings are the first to reveal molecular complexity of the color vision system within beetles. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12862-016-0674-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan P Lord
- Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, 4102 LSB, Provo, UT, 84602, USA.
| | - Rebecca L Plimpton
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, C100 BNSN, Provo, UT, 84602, USA
| | - Camilla R Sharkey
- Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, 4102 LSB, Provo, UT, 84602, USA
| | - Anton Suvorov
- Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, 4102 LSB, Provo, UT, 84602, USA
| | - Jonathan P Lelito
- United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine, Emerald Ash Borer Program, 5936 Ford Court Suite 200, Brighton, MI, 48116, USA
| | - Barry M Willardson
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, C100 BNSN, Provo, UT, 84602, USA
| | - Seth M Bybee
- Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, 4102 LSB, Provo, UT, 84602, USA
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Sander SE, Hall DW. Variation in opsin genes correlates with signalling ecology in North American fireflies. Mol Ecol 2015; 24:4679-96. [PMID: 26289828 PMCID: PMC4599352 DOI: 10.1111/mec.13346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2015] [Revised: 07/30/2015] [Accepted: 08/16/2015] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Genes underlying signal reception should evolve to maximize signal detection in a particular environment. In animals, opsins, the protein component of visual pigments, are predicted to evolve according to this expectation. Fireflies are known for their bioluminescent mating signals. The eyes of nocturnal species are expected to maximize the detection of conspecific signal colours emitted in the typical low-light environment. This is not expected for species that have transitioned to diurnal activity in bright daytime environments. Here, we test the hypothesis that opsin gene sequence plays a role in modifying firefly eye spectral sensitivity. We use genome and transcriptome sequencing in four firefly species, transcriptome sequencing in six additional species and targeted gene sequencing in 28 other species to identify all opsin genes present in North American fireflies and to elucidate amino acid sites under positive selection. We also determine whether amino acid substitutions in opsins are linked to evolutionary changes in signal mode, signal colour and light environment. We find only two opsins, one long wavelength and one ultraviolet, in all firefly species and identify 25 candidate sites that may be involved in determining spectral sensitivity. In addition, we find elevated rates of evolution at transitions to diurnal activity, and changes in selective constraint on long wavelength opsin associated with changes in light environment. Our results suggest that changes in eye spectral sensitivity are at least partially due to opsin sequence. Fireflies continue to be a promising system in which to investigate the evolution of signals, receptors and signalling environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- S E Sander
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - D W Hall
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
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Nazari M, Hosseinkhani S, Hassani L. Step-wise addition of disulfide bridge in firefly luciferase controls color shift through a flexible loop: a thermodynamic perspective. Photochem Photobiol Sci 2013; 12:298-308. [DOI: 10.1039/c2pp25140j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Vision in click beetles (Coleoptera: Elateridae): pigments and spectral correspondence between visual sensitivity and species bioluminescence emission. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2010; 196:629-38. [DOI: 10.1007/s00359-010-0549-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2010] [Revised: 06/08/2010] [Accepted: 06/10/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Baggett B, Roy R, Momen S, Morgan S, Tisi L, Morse D, Gillies RJ. Thermostability of Firefly Luciferases Affects Efficiency of Detection by in Vivo Bioluminescence. Mol Imaging 2004; 3:324-32. [PMID: 15802049 DOI: 10.1162/15353500200403178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Luciferase from the North American firefly (Photinis pyralis) is a useful reporter gene in vivo, allowing noninvasive imaging of tumor growth, metastasis, gene transfer, drug treatment, and gene expression. Luciferase is heat labile with an in vitro halflife of approximately 3 min at 37 degrees C. We have characterized wild type and six thermostabilized mutant luciferases. In vitro, mutants showed half-lives between 2- and 25-fold higher than wild type. Luciferase transfected mammalian cells were used to determine in vivo half-lives following cycloheximide inhibition of de novo protein synthesis. This showed increased in vivo thermostability in both wild-type and mutant luciferases. This may be due to a variety of factors, including chaperone activity, as steady-state luciferase levels were reduced by geldanamycin, an Hsp90 inhibitor. Mice inoculated with tumor cells stably transfected with mutant or wild-type luciferases were imaged. Increased light production and sensitivity were observed in the tumors bearing thermostable luciferase. Thermostable proteins increase imaging sensitivity. Presumably, as more active protein accumulates, detection is possible from a smaller number of mutant transfected cells compared to wild-type transfected cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brenda Baggett
- University of Arizona Cancer Center, Tucson, AZ 85724-5024, USA
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Booth D, Stewart AJA, Osorio D. Colour vision in the glow-worm Lampyris noctiluca (L.) (Coleoptera: Lampyridae): evidence for a green-blue chromatic mechanism. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2004; 207:2373-8. [PMID: 15184509 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.01044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Male glow-worms Lampyris noctiluca find their bioluminescent mates at night by phototaxis. There is good evidence that location of mates by lampyrid beetles is achieved by a single spectral class of photoreceptor, whose spectral sensitivity is tuned to the bioluminescent spectrum emitted by conspecifics, and is achromatic. We ask whether glow-worm phototaxis involves interactions between two spectral classes of photoreceptor. Binary choice experiments were conducted in which males were presented with artificial light stimuli that differ in spectral composition. The normal preference for a green stimulus (lambdamax=555 nm), corresponding to the bioluminescence wavelength produced by signalling females, was significantly reduced by adding a blue (lambdamax=485 nm) component to the signal. This implies an antagonistic interaction between long- and short-wavelength sensitive photoreceptors, suggesting colour vision based on chromatic opponency. Cryosections showed a band of yellow filter pigment in the fronto-dorsal region of the male compound eye, which could severely constrain colour vision in the dim conditions in which the insects signal. This apparent paradox is discussed in the context of the distribution of the pigment within the eye and the photic niche of the species.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Booth
- Sussex Centre for Neuroscience and School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9QG, UK.
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Stolz U, Velez S, Wood KV, Wood M, Feder JL. Darwinian natural selection for orange bioluminescent color in a Jamaican click beetle. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2003; 100:14955-9. [PMID: 14623957 PMCID: PMC299859 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2432563100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2003] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The Jamaican click beetle Pyrophorus plagiophthalamus (Coleoptera: Elateridae) is unique among all bioluminescent organisms in displaying a striking light color polymorphism [Biggley, W. H., Lloyd, J. E. & Seliger, H. H. (1967) J. Gen. Physiol. 50, 1681-1692]. Beetles on the island vary in the color of their ventral light organs from yellow-green to orange and their dorsal organs from green to yellow-green. The genetic basis for the color variation involves specific amino acid substitutions in the enzyme luciferase. Here, we show that dorsal and ventral light color in P. plagiophthalamus are under separate genetic control, we resolve the allelic basis for color variation, and, through analyses of luciferase sequence variation, we demonstrate that natural selection has produced a long-term adaptive trend for longer wavelength (more orange) ventral light on Jamaica. Our results constitute a novel example connecting the selective fixation of specific nucleotides in nature to their precisely determined phenotypic effects. We also present evidence suggesting that a recently derived ventral orange luciferase allele on the island has deterministically increased in frequency. Thus, the current luciferase polymorphism for P. plagiophthalamus appears to be mirroring the long-term anagenic trend on Jamaica, revealing a possible ongoing adaptive color transition in progress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uwe Stolz
- Department of Biological Sciences, P.O. Box 369, Galvin Life Science Center, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556-0369, USA
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