{
  "abstract": "Bioluminescent reporters are important tools in biomedical research. Luciferase enzymes, expressed as part of transgenes or inserted into endogenous genomes, can be used to visualise molecular events with minimally invasive experiments. However, the reaction requires addition of the substrate, luciferin. Organisms with self-sustained luminescence that both express the luciferase and produce the luciferin would allow continuous, convenient and affordable acquisition of physiological information. The Neonothopanus nambi fungal bioluminescence pathway has been harnessed in this way to produce autoluminescent plants. However, progress into mammalian models has been hindered by temperature sensitivity of the wild-type fungal luciferase (nnLuz). We tested the efficacy of a thermostable variant of nnLuz (nnLuz_v3) in vivo at physiologically relevant levels, by generating a reporter of endogenous Cyp1a1 expression as a measure of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) activation. Previously published Cyp1a1-Fluc mice allowed a comparison between the novel luciferase nnLuz_v3 and the established firefly luciferase (Fluc). In Cyp1a1-nnLuz_v3 mice, the bioluminescence signal was sufficiently stable to enable well-resolved luminescence images to be captured on standard in vivo imaging equipment and consumer-grade cameras. These results derisk the use of nnLuz_v3 as an in vivo molecular reporter whilst providing a novel tool for AHR drug discovery and research.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Epigenetic Memory Group, MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London W12 0HS, UK",
    "Planta LLC, Skolkovo Innovation Center, Bolshoy Boulevard 42, Building 1, 335, Moscow 121205, Russia",
    "Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 117997, Russia",
    "Whole Animal Physiology and Imaging, MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London W12 0HS, UK",
    "Transgenics & Embryonic Stem Cell Facility, MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London W12 0HS, UK",
    "Synthetic Biology Group, MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London W12 0HS, UK",
    "Lymphocyte Development Group, MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London W12 0HS, UK",
    "Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK",
    "Institute of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Imperial College Centre for Engineering Biology, Imperial College London, London W12 0HS, UK"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 10,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Hannah J. Gleneadie",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-8987-4876"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Nicolas Veland",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-3096-7867"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Nadezhda M. Markina"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Alessandro Sardini",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-4915-3687"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Anastasia A. Fadeeva"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Zoe Webster"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Feng Gao"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Matthias Merkenschlager"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        7
      ],
      "name": "Amanda G. Fisher"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5,
        8
      ],
      "name": "Karen S. Sarkisyan",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-5375-6341"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9h7mbc40zc0rw.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3390/ijms27219586",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "9h7mbc40zc0rw",
  "issns": [
    "1422-0067"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/21/9586",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "1312|bioluminescence and chemiluminescence research"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223896029",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-27",
  "publisher": "MDPI AG",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9h7mbc40zc0rw.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:57Z",
      "native_id": "10.3390/ijms27219586",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/21/9586"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biochemistry",
      "origin": "openalex:1312|bioluminescence and chemiluminescence research",
      "subfield": "molecular-biology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Quantitative Bioluminescent Imaging of AHR Activity Using a Thermostable Variant of the Fungal Luciferase nnLuz",
  "title_text": "Quantitative Bioluminescent Imaging of AHR Activity Using a Thermostable Variant of the Fungal Luciferase nnLuz",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:18:57Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9h7mbc40zc0rw",
  "venue": "International Journal of Molecular Sciences",
  "versions": []
}