Paper notes
Important ideas and takeaways from research papers, organized by era.
Pre-2000s Research
- Transient and Stable Expression of the Firefly Luciferase Gene in Plant Cells and Transgenic PlantsDavid W. Ow, Keith V. Wood, Marlene DeLuca, Jeffrey R. De Wet, Donald R. Helinski, Stephen H. HowellScience, Vol. 234, No. 4778 (1986)
- Firefly Luciferase Gene: Structure and Expression in Mammalian CellsJeffrey R. De Wet, Keith V. Wood, Marlene DeLuca, Donald R. Helinski, Suresh SubramaniMol. Cell. Biol., Vol. 7, No. 2 (1987)
- The In Vivo Pattern of Firefly Luciferase Expression in Transgenic PlantsMichel Schneider, David W. Ow, Stephen H. HowellPlant Mol. Biol., Vol. 14 (1990)
- The Chemical Mechanism and Evolutionary Development of Beetle BioluminescenceKeith V. WoodPhotochem. Photobiol., Vol. 62 (1995)
- Crystal Structure of Firefly Luciferase Throws Light on a Superfamily of Adenylate-Forming EnzymesElena Conti, Nicholas P. Franks, Peter BrickStructure, Vol. 4, Issue 3 (Mar. 15, 1996), pp. 287-298
2010 – 2026 Research
- Engineering Autonomously Luminescent Plants Using the Fungal Bioluminescence PathwayXiaolei Yu, Tiange Wang, C. Kong, Hao DuNew Phytologist, Vol. 248, Issue 5 (2025), pp. 2251-2261, DOI: 10.1111/nph.70601
- Comparative Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals Bioluminescence-Related Genes in Firefly Pyrocoelia pectoralisGuobao Wang, Lei Nie, Huanxin LiGenomics, Vol. 117, Issue 5, Article 111101 (Aug. 2025)
- Luciferins Under Construction: A Review of Known Biosynthetic PathwaysAleksandra S. TsarkovaFrontiers in Ecology and Evolution, Vol. 9, Article 667829 (Sep. 20, 2021)
- Enzymatic Promiscuity and the Evolution of BioluminescenceSpencer T. Adams Jr., Stephen C. MillerThe FEBS Journal, Vol. 287, Issue 7 (Apr. 2020), pp. 1369-1380
- A Practical, Biomimetic, One-Pot Synthesis of Firefly LuciferinMaria Kato, Kazuaki Tsuchihashi, Shusei Kanie, Yuichi Oba, Toshio NishikawaScientific Reports, Vol. 14, Article 30461 (Dec. 25, 2024)
- Biosensing Firefly Luciferin Synthesis in Bacteria Reveals a Cysteine-Dependent Quinone Detoxification Route in ColeopteraDaniel Rangel de Souza, Jaqueline Rodrigues Silva, Ariele Moreira, Vadim R. VivianiScientific Reports, Vol. 12, Article 14815 (Aug. 31, 2022)
- New Zealand Glowworm (Arachnocampa luminosa) Bioluminescence Is Produced by a Firefly-Like Luciferase but an Entirely New LuciferinOliver C. Watkins, Miriam L. Sharpe, Nigel B. Perry, Kurt L. KrauseScientific Reports, Vol. 8, Article 3278 (Feb. 19, 2018)
- Plants with Genetically Encoded AutoluminescenceTatiana Mitiouchkina, Alexander S. Mishin, Louisa Gonzalez Somermeyer, Nadezhda M. Markina, et al.Nature Biotechnology, Vol. 38, Issue 8 (Apr. 27, 2020), pp. 944-946
- Genetically Encodable Bioluminescent System from FungiAlexey A. Kotlobay, Karen S. Sarkisyan, Yuliana A. Mokrushina, Marina Marcet-Houben, Ekaterina O. Serebrovskaya, Nadezhda M. Markina, et al.PNAS, Vol. 115, Issue 50 (Nov. 26, 2018), pp. 12728-12732
- Genomic and Experimental Data Provide New Insights Into Luciferin Biosynthesis and Bioluminescence Evolution in FirefliesRu Zhang, Jinwu He, Zhiwei Dong, Guichun Liu, Yuan Yin, Xinying Zhang, Qi Li, Yandong Ren, Yongzhi Yang, Wei Liu, Xianqing Chen, Wenhao Xia, Kang Duan, Fei Hao, Zeshan Lin, Jie Yang, Zhou Chang, Ruoping Zhao, Wenting Wan, Sihan Lu, Yanqiong Peng, Siqin Ge, Wen Wang, Xueyan LiScientific Reports, Vol. 10, Article 15882 (Sep. 28, 2020)
- 2-S-cysteinylhydroquinone is an Intermediate for the Firefly Luciferin Biosynthesis that Occurs in the Pupal Stage of the Japanese Firefly, Luciola lateralisShusei Kanie, Yuichi ObaBioorganic Chemistry, Vol. 80, pp. 223-229 (Oct. 2018)
- Sulfoluciferin is biosynthesized by a specialized luciferin sulfotransferase in firefliesTimothy R. Fallon et al.Biochemistry, Vol. 55, pp. 3341-3344 (2016)
- Firefly genomes illuminate parallel origins of bioluminescence in beetlesTimothy R. Fallon et al.eLife, Vol. 7, e36495 (2018)
- Biosynthesis of firefly luciferin in adult lantern: decarboxylation of L-cysteine is a key step for benzothiazole ring formationYuichi Oba et al.PLoS ONE, Vol. 8, e84023 (2013)