Cone photopigments (opsins) are crucial elements of, and the first detection module in, color vision. Individual opsins have different wavelength sensitivity patterns, and the temporal and spatial expression patterns of opsins are unique and stringently regulated. Long and middle wavelength-sensitive (L/M) opsins are of the same phylogenetic type. Although the roles of thyroid hormone/TRß2 and ...

BACKGROUND We investigated the utility of bioluminescence imaging (BLI) using firefly luciferase in monoclonal and polyclonal populations of leukemia cells in vitro and in vivo. METHODS Monoclonal and polyclonal human lymphoid and myeloid leukemia cell lines transduced with firefly luciferase were used for BLI. RESULTS Kinetics and dynamics of bioluminescence signal were cell line dependent...

Firefly luciferase has proven to be a highly sensitive and quantitative reporter gene for studying gene delivery and regulation, and its recent use in live cells and organisms promises to further expand its utility. However, the intracellular behavior and properties of the enzyme are not well characterized. Specifically, information on the intracellular kinetics and stability of luciferase acti...

We have developed a gene transfer system for the protozoan parasite Giardia lamblia. This organism is responsible for many cases of diarrhea worldwide and is considered to be one of the most primitive eukaryotes. Expression of a heterologous gene was detected in this parasite after electroporation with appropriate DNA constructs. We constructed a series of transfection plasmids using flanking s...

Functional expression and spectroscopic analysis of luciferases from Lampyris turkestanicus and Photinus pyralis were carried out. cDNA encoding L. turkestanicus luciferase was isolated by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, cloned, and functionally expressed in Escherichia coli. The luciferases were purified to homogeneity using Ni-nitrilotriacetic acid Sepharose, and kinetic prop...

The gene coding for beetle luciferase, the enzyme responsible for bioluminescence in over two thousand coleopteran species has, to date, only been characterized from one Palearctic species of Lampyridae. Here we report the characterization of the luciferase gene from a female beetle of an Iranian lampyrid species, Nyctophila cf. caucasica (Coleoptera:Lampyridae). The luciferase gene was compose...

The gene coding for beetle luciferase, the enzyme responsible for bioluminescence in over two thousand coleopteran species has, to date, only been characterized from one Palearctic species of Lampyridae. Here we report the characterization of the luciferase gene from a female beetle of an Iranian lampyrid species, Nyctophila cf. caucasica (Coleoptera:Lampyridae). The luciferase gene was compose...

Methods This study included 48 patients with 46,XY DSD without adrenal insufficiency or dysmorphic features. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood leukocytes and direct sequencing of the 6 coding exons of SF1 was performed. To evaluate the effect of SF1 mutations on transcriptional activity, transient transfection studies were performed using dual luciferase reporter assay system with...

A cyanobacterial expression vector was constructed using ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO) promoter and terminator sequences derived from Synechococcus PCC 6301. recombinant plasmid, designated pARUB19, has an ampicillin-resistant (ApR) gene as a selectable marker and four unique restriction sites to allow the insertion of foreign genes. Using this vector, the luciferase...