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Review
. 2021 Aug:63:86-94.
doi: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2021.02.005. Epub 2021 Mar 23.

Emerging tools for bioluminescence imaging

Giorgia Zambito  1 , Chintan Chawda  2 , Laura Mezzanotte  3
Affiliations
Free article
Review

Emerging tools for bioluminescence imaging

Giorgia Zambito et al. Curr Opin Chem Biol. 2021 Aug.
Free article

Abstract

Bioluminescence (BL) relies on the enzymatic reaction between luciferase, a substrate conventionally named luciferin, and various cofactors. BL imaging has become a widely used technique to interrogate gene expression and cell fate, both in small and large animal models of research. Recent developments include the generation of improved luciferase-luciferin systems for deeper and more sensitive imaging as well as new caged luciferins to report on enzymatic activity and other intracellular functions. Here, we critically evaluate the emerging tools for BL imaging aiming to provide the reader with an updated compendium of the latest developments (2018-2020) and their notable applications.

Keywords: Bioluminescence imaging; Caged luciferin; Luciferase; Luciferin; Photouncaging.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

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