SBS: Ing. RNDr. Martin Marek, Ph.D., MBA: Decoding how deep-sea animals produce light

The engineering of light-emitting luciferase enzymes towards ultrasensitive bioassays is often possible only when the underlying catalytic mechanism is thoroughly known. Thus, atomic-level knowledge of a Michaelis enzyme-substrate complex, revealing molecular details of luciferin recognition and catalytic chemistry, is crucial for understanding and then rationally improving bioluminescent reactions. However, many known luciferases sample huge protein conformational space, often preventing complete structural characterization. Moreover, using a cognate luciferin is problematic since its conversion into an oxyluciferin in the presence of the luciferase will prevent the capture of the enzyme-luciferin conformation in an activated state. In this talk, I outline how to deal with such obstacles, focusing on the recent discoveries of marine bioluminescence mechanisms facilitated by a combination of engineered ancestral enzyme and the availability of a non-oxidizable luciferin analogue.