A joint research group of Chubu University, Nagahama Institute of Biotechnology, and Kagoshima University will restore the luciferase of the original firefly that appeared on the earth about 1 million years ago, and reproduce the deep green luminescence different from the current firefly. succeeded in.

 It is believed that the first ancestors of fireflies already had the ability to emit light when they appeared about 1 million years ago (Cretaceous).In fact, a fossil of a firefly with a photophore has been found in amber fossils around this time, but of course the color of the luminescence does not remain in the fossil.

 About 2000 species of fireflies are known today, and they emit light in various colors from green to yellow-green, yellow, and orange, depending on the species, and these are determined by the difference in the amino acid sequence of the luminescent enzyme called "firefly luciferase."Therefore, in this research, we focus on the method of "ancestral sequence restoration" that computationally restores lost past genetic information, and restores the luciferase sequence of fireflies 1 million years ago to restore the light of ancient fireflies. I tried to reproduce it.

 As a result, deep green luminescence was observed, which is different from the yellow-green luminescence of Genji firefly and Heike firefly that are currently seen.Furthermore, as a result of restoring the arrangement of various times before and after the appearance of the first firefly, "Insects of ancestors before the appearance of firefly glowed weakly in red, but the first firefly strongly emitted in deep green. It evolved to emit light, and then the species were divided into fireflies with a wide range of emission colors from green to yellow. "

 Since the ancestral sequence restoration so far has never restored a phenomenon that can be seen directly, this research is the first in the world to revive a part of the past scene of the light emission of ancient fireflies. Has great significance.In addition, it is thought that the ancestors of fireflies emitted deep green light to protect them against foreign enemies, and the elucidation of the luminescence mechanism of ancestor luciferase has led to several important findings.

Paper information:[Science Advances] Resurrecting the ancient glow of the fireflies

Kagoshima University

Aiming to become a glocal education and research center that flies from southern Kyushu to the world

Kagoshima University has nine faculties and nine graduate schools, with approximately 9 undergraduate students and approximately 9 graduate students (including approximately 9,000 international students), for a total of approximately 2,000 students.We strive to discover the potential of each student and to develop their aptitude, and provide a wide range of liberal arts education and advanced specialized education, as well as […].

Chubu University
Chubu University

A comprehensive university where 8 faculties and 27 departments gather on one campus to cultivate true abilities that can be used in the real world.

About 1 people study on one campus.Facilities that respond to curiosity, laboratories that receive research requests from society, and professors who are highly evaluated in each field stimulate your creativity. It is a university where you can do what you want to do and become the person you want to be. […]

Nagahama Bio University

A university where you can comprehensively study cutting-edge bioscience

Nagahama University of Biotechnology conducts world-class bioscience research and high-quality education based on this research.We have established the Department of Frontier Bioscience, Department of Biodata Science, and Department of Animal Bioscience, which correspond to the age of science innovation, and provide the necessary knowledge and skills […]

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