Bioluminescence imaging articles from across Nature Portfolio

Generation of an endogenous Cyp1a1 luciferase reporter mouse model to dynamically and longitudinally visualize AHR activity throughout lifespan and in response to ligand exposure, reveals prolonged AHR activation in the lung.

Two Cre-dependent reporter mice, oFluc and Akaluc, were created and tested for bioluminescence in neural tissues and organs. Both strains were brighter than the classical luciferase Luc2, potentially facilitating in vivo bioluminescence imaging of various tissues.

Currently, tracking cell proliferation in vivo is hard. Here the authors report a method where the time series of proliferation of targeted cell types can be monitored in vivo in the same individuals, with no need for animal sacrifice: they use this to assess β-cell and hepatocyte proliferation in mice.

Bioluminescent imaging of bacteria in vivo generally requires the use of engineered bacteria. Here the authors take advantage of bacteria specific ATP-binding cassette sugar transporters to enable selective delivery of bioluminescent nanoprobes into bacteria for visualisation, including in deep tissues.

Organisms that glow are perhaps eerie. Vadim Viviani ponders on the luciferin–luciferase systems responsible for their intriguing bioluminescence.

Cells exchange information with one another using secreted chemicals as data carriers. We developed an all-optogenetic synaptic transmission system that replaced a chemical neurotransmitter with emitted photons. This system enabled synthetic signaling between unconnected neurons and the generation of prosthetic synaptic circuits.

Ten years ago, the engineering of a small luciferase called NanoLuc broke through a common limitation of bioluminescence. Currently the brightest known bioluminescent protein, NanoLuc’s activity has been used across a huge application range — enabling measurements in single cells and in whole living organisms.

Bioluminescent phasor is a new technology for multiplexed, excitation-free imaging at the microscale using luciferase–luciferin pairs. This platform can readily unmix the broad, overlapping emission spectra of bioluminescent reporters, making possible the dynamic tracking of cellular and molecular features over prolonged time periods.