Table 1. Characteristics of the Most Common Naturally Occurring and Synthetic Luciferases and Their Current Use in Biosensors.
| luciferase | organism | substrate | cofactor(s) | size (kDa) | emission wavelength (nm) | used for biosensor (Y/N) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North American Firefly (FLuc) | Photinus pyralis | d-luciferin | ATP and Mg | 61 | 560 | Y |
| click beetle | Pyrophorus plagiophthalamus | d-luciferin | ATP and Mg | 64 | ∼600 | Y |
| Renilla (RLuc) | Renilla reniformis | coelenterazine | Ca2+ | 36 | 480 | Y |
| Renilla mutant (RLuc8) | Renilla reniformis | coelenterazine | Ca2+ | 36 | 535 | Y |
| Gaussia (GLuc) | Gaussia princeps | coelenterazine | N/A | 20 | 470 | Y |
| OLuc | Oplophorus gracilirostris | coelenterazine | N/A | 19 | 460 | N |
| NanoLuc | Oplophorus gracilirostris | furimazine | N/A | 19 | 460 | Y |
| bacterial luciferase (Lux) | bacteria (i.e., Photorhabdus luminescens, Vibrio harveyi) | tetradecanal | oxygen and reduced riboflavin phosphate | 77 | 480 | Y |