Background

Firefly luciferase (Fluc), initially isolated from the firefly Photinus pyralis, is an enzyme that catalyzes the oxygenation of d-luciferin to oxyluciferin, producing visible light (530-640 nm). Bioluminescence is the process of light emission in living organisms. Bioluminescence imaging utilizes native light emission from one of several organisms which bioluminesce. The three main sources are the North American firefly, the sea pansy (and related marine organisms), and bacteria like Photorhabdus luminescens and Vibrio fischeri. Common applications of BLI include in vivo studies of infection(with bioluminescent pathogens), cancer progression (using a bioluminescent cancer cell line), and reconstitution kinetics (using bioluminescent stem cells).