Firefly luciferase is a commonly used reporter gene. The gene originates from fireflies (a type of
beetle) and when it combines with its substrate, luciferin, light is produced. Luciferin is very
expensive to purchase. You would therefore like to figure out the biosynthetic pathway for
making luciferin so that you can get bacteria to make luciferin. This will enable you pay off all
your college loans! You have obtained 5 mutant firefly stocks that each fail to glow at night.
The flies in each stock have the wild type luciferase gene but ultimately fail to make the luciferin
substrate. Each stock has a unique mutation in one of the genes required to make luciferin. You
know that the biosynthesis of luciferin involves 5 intermediate compounds: A, B, C, D, and E.
However, you do not know the order that these compounds appear in the pathway. When you
feed these intermediate compounds to the mutant fireflies, they sometimes are able glow (+) and
sometimes still cannot glow (-). However, when you feed the mutant fireflies luciferin, they
always glow. Based on the results in the table above, write the biosynthetic pathway for
luciferin, showing the order of the intermediates (A-E) and the genes (M1-M5) required to
convert each intermediate to the next in the pathway.
Solution
This is a probem, where in you can get the answer by the means of trial and error.
Now that we have all pieces to this puzzle, lets join them.
E>B>D>C>A this is the pathway in the production of Luciferase..
Firefly luciferase is a commonly used reporter gene. The gene origina.pdf
1. Firefly luciferase is a commonly used reporter gene. The gene originates from fireflies (a type of
beetle) and when it combines with its substrate, luciferin, light is produced. Luciferin is very
expensive to purchase. You would therefore like to figure out the biosynthetic pathway for
making luciferin so that you can get bacteria to make luciferin. This will enable you pay off all
your college loans! You have obtained 5 mutant firefly stocks that each fail to glow at night.
The flies in each stock have the wild type luciferase gene but ultimately fail to make the luciferin
substrate. Each stock has a unique mutation in one of the genes required to make luciferin. You
know that the biosynthesis of luciferin involves 5 intermediate compounds: A, B, C, D, and E.
However, you do not know the order that these compounds appear in the pathway. When you
feed these intermediate compounds to the mutant fireflies, they sometimes are able glow (+) and
sometimes still cannot glow (-). However, when you feed the mutant fireflies luciferin, they
always glow. Based on the results in the table above, write the biosynthetic pathway for
luciferin, showing the order of the intermediates (A-E) and the genes (M1-M5) required to
convert each intermediate to the next in the pathway.
Solution
This is a probem, where in you can get the answer by the means of trial and error.
Now that we have all pieces to this puzzle, lets join them.
E>B>D>C>A this is the pathway in the production of Luciferase.
