Effects of surfactants on luminescence intensity and duration of the minimal luciferase picALuc.

Bioluminescence is an oxidation-mediated chemical reaction involving the luciferase enzyme and the luciferin substrate. To date, various artificial luciferases have been developed, and their luminescence properties have been investigated. However, very few studies have focused on the solvent environment in which these luminescent reactions occur, and the details of their influence on luminescent phenomena remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the effects of various surfactants on the activity of the luciferase picALuc. To this end, we analyzed the effects of adding diverse surfactants on the luminescence properties of the luciferase picALuc. The results showed that the addition of a surfactant enhanced the luminescence intensity and extended the duration of luminescence. Dynamic light scattering measurements and microscopic observations revealed that micelle-like particles were formed by the surfactant, which suppressed luminescence inhibition. This study provides our original method for adding surfactants to enzymatic reactions, such as those involving hydrophobic substrates.