Kotlobay, A.A. et al. PNAS. 115, 12728–12732 (2018)

Natural and engineered bioluminescent systems have been tapped by scientists to provide non-invasive imaging in vivo. But the complete biochemical details involved in the approximately 40 known natural systems aren’t that well known—only one cascade has been fully described from starting metabolite to luciferin, the substrate that interacts with an enzyme to produce light. It’s found in bacteria, a pretty distant genetic relevant from animals.

But move over, bacteria, there’s a fungal version now to consider. A team of Russian researchers recently identified and described all the enzymatic steps that lead to the green glow of the eukaryotic yeast Pichia pastoris. They demonstrate its potential as an in vivo reporter in other eukaryotes, testing its function in Xenopus laevis embryos and tumor xenografts in mice.