A putative chordate luciferase from a cosmopolitan tunicate indicates convergent bioluminescence evolution across phyla
Tessler, M.; Gaffney, J.P.; Oliveira, A.G.; Guarnaccia, A.; Dobi, K.C.; Gujarati, N.A.; Galbraith, M.; Mirza, J.D.; Sparks, J.S.; Pieribone, V.A.; Wood, R.J.; Gruber, D.F. (2020). A putative chordate luciferase from a cosmopolitan tunicate indicates convergent bioluminescence evolution across phyla. NPG Scientific Reports 10(1): 11 pp. https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-73446-w
In: Scientific Reports (Nature Publishing Group). Nature Publishing Group: London. ISSN 2045-2322; e-ISSN 2045-2322, more
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| Authors | | Top |
- Tessler, M.
- Gaffney, J.P.
- Oliveira, A.G.
- Guarnaccia, A.
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- Dobi, K.C.
- Gujarati, N.A.
- Galbraith, M.
- Mirza, J.D.
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- Sparks, J.S.
- Pieribone, V.A.
- Wood, R.J.
- Gruber, D.F.
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| Abstract |
Pyrosomes are tunicates in the phylum Chordata, which also contains vertebrates. Their gigantic blooms play important ecological and biogeochemical roles in oceans. Pyrosoma, meaning “fire-body”, derives from their brilliant bioluminescence. The biochemistry of this light production is unknown, but has been hypothesized to be bacterial in origin. We found that mixing coelenterazine—a eukaryote-specific luciferin—with Pyrosoma atlanticum homogenate produced light. To identify the bioluminescent machinery, we sequenced P. atlanticum transcriptomes and found a sequence match to a cnidarian luciferase (RLuc). We expressed this novel luciferase (PyroLuc) and, combined with coelenterazine, it produced light. A similar gene was recently predicted from a bioluminescent brittle star, indicating that RLuc-like luciferases may have evolved convergently from homologous dehalogenases across phyla (Cnidaria, Echinodermata, and Chordata). This report indicates that a widespread gene may be able to functionally converge, resulting in bioluminescence across animal phyla, and describes and characterizes the first putative chordate luciferase. |
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