Cellular Control of the Synthesis and Activity of the Bacterial Luminescent System

TLDR

In bioluminescent bacteria, luciferase is produced in a brief burst during exponential growth, triggered by medium conditioning that activates transcription; this burst is weaker in minimal medium relative to cell mass. The observed stimulation is attributed to increased synthesis patterns, not to induction or derepression. Adding arginine markedly boosts bioluminescence under these conditions.

Abstract

In bioluminescent bacteria growing in shake flasks, the enzyme luciferase has been shown to be synthesized in a relatively short burst during the period of exponential growth. The luciferase gene appears to be completely inactive in a freshly inoculated culture; the pulse of preferential luciferase synthesis which occurs later is the consequence of its activation at the level of deoxyribonucleic acid transcription which is attributed to an effect of a “conditioning” of the medium by the growing of cells. Although cells grown in a minimal medium also exhibit a similar burst of synthesis of the luminescent system, the amount of synthesis is quantitatively less, relative to cell mass. Under such conditions, added arginine results in a striking stimulation of bioluminescence. This is attributed to a stimulation of existing patterns of synthesis and not to induction or derepression per se.