A “luciferase-like” enzyme in mealworm larvae that represents a missing link between the non-luminescent enzymes of the past and the “bright,” modern-day luciferase enzymes in fireflies
Discovery of the missing link in evolution of bioluminescence
With bioluminescence — the process that makes fireflies glow — now a mainstay in medical research, scientists are reporting discovery of a “missing link” of its evolution, which represents one of the deepest mysteries about bioluminescence. It paves the way toward development of new enzymes that glow in different colors and are 10, 100 or 1,000 times brighter, they say in ACS’ journal Biochemistry.
