Leuchtende Pilze wurden von Aristoteles bereits im 4. Jahrhundert v. Chr. beschrieben. I. V. Yampolsky, J. I. Gitelson et al. decken in ihrer Zuschrift auf S. 8242 ff. die Struktur von Pilz-Luciferin auf, einer Verbindung, die für die Biolumineszenz von Pilzen verantwortlich ist. Leuchtende Pilze wurden von Aristoteles bereits im 4. Jahrhundert v. Chr. beschrieben. I. V. Yampolsky, J. I. Gitelson et al. decken in ihrer Zuschrift auf S. 8242 ff. die Struktur von Pilz-Luciferin auf, einer Verbindung, die für die Biolumineszenz von Pilzen verantwortlich ist. Krebsdiagnostik Ein Hypoxie erkennender Sauerstoffsensor für die Diagnose von Krebsmetastasierungen wird von X. Q. Jiang et al. auf S. 8212 ff. beschrieben. Nach systemischer Verabreichung des Sensors wird die Metastase von Krebszellen in die Lunge oder in Lymphknoten durch optische Ganzkörperbildgebung nachgewiesen.1 Elektroreduktion von NO Die entscheidende Rolle von Wasser für den Mechanismus der NO-Elektroreduktion auf Pt(111) untersuchen J. Greeley et al. in der Zuschrift auf S. 8373 ff. Wasser erleichtert den Elektronentransfer zu adsorbierten Oberflächenintermediaten mit sehr niedrigen kinetischen Barrieren.1 Porphyrinoide M. Bröring et al. präsentieren in ihrer Zuschrift auf S. 8331 ff. die erste radikalische freie Corrolbase. Der Verlust eines inneren H-Atoms des luftstabilen, leicht handhabbaren Porphyrinoids ergibt ein planares Molekül, das z. B. Zn2+ binden kann.1

Glowing fungi were described by Aristotle as early as the fourth century B.C. In their Communication on page 8124 ff., I. V. Yampolsky, J. I. Gitelson, and co-workers unveil the structure of fungal luciferin, a compound that is responsible for fungal biolumescence. Glowing fungi were described by Aristotle as early as the fourth century B.C. In their Communication on page 8124 ff., I. V. Yampolsky, J. I. Gitelson, and co-workers unveil the structure of fungal luciferin, a compound that is responsible for fungal biolumescence. Cancer Diagnostics A hypoxia-sensitive sensor for tracking cancer metastasis is reported by X. Q. Jiang et al. on page 8094 ff. After systemic administration of the sensor, cancer cells metastasizing to the lungs or to the lymph nodes are detected by whole-body optical imaging.1 NO Electroreduction The crucial role of water in determining the mechanism of NO electroreduction to ammonia on Pt(111) surfaces is investigated by J. Greeley et al. in their Communication on page 8255 ff. Water facilitates proton transfer to adsorbed surface intermediates with very low kinetic barriers.1 Porphyrinoids M. Bröring et al. present the first free-base corrole radical in their Communication on page 8213 ff. Loss of an inner hydrogen atom from the air-stable, easy-to-handle porphyrinoid gives a planar molecule that can, for example, bind Zn2+.1

The luminescent system of higher luminous fungi is not fully understood and the enzyme/substrate pair of the light emission reaction has not been isolated. It was suggested that luminescence of fungi involves oxidase-type enzymes, and reactive oxygen species are important for fungal light production. Generation of reactive oxygen species can be stimulated by ionizing irradiation, which has not been studied for luminous fungi. We report the effect of X-irradiation on the luminescence of fungus Neonothopanus nambi. Experiments were performed with mycelium on a home-built setup based on an X-ray tube and monochromator/photomultiplier tube. Application of X-rays does not change the emission spectrum, but after approximately 20 min of continuous irradiation, light production from unsupported mycelium starts growing and increases up to approximately five times. After peaking, its level decreases irrespective of the presence of X-irradiation. After staying at a certain level, light production collapses to zero, which is not related to the drying of the mycelium or thermal impact of radiation. The observed shape of kinetics is characteristic of a multistage and/or chain reaction. The time profile of light production must reflect the current levels of radicals present in the system and/or the activity of enzyme complexes involved in light production.

Many species of fungi naturally produce light, a phenomenon known as bioluminescence, however, the fungal substrates used in the chemical reactions that produce light have not been reported. We identified the fungal compound luciferin 3-hydroxyhispidin, which is biosynthesized by oxidation of the precursor hispidin, a known fungal and plant secondary metabolite. The fungal luciferin does not share structural similarity with the other eight known luciferins. Furthermore, it was shown that 3-hydroxyhispidin leads to bioluminescence in extracts from four diverse genera of luminous fungi, thus suggesting a common biochemical mechanism for fungal bioluminescence.

The luminescent system of higher luminous fungi is not fully understood and the enzyme/substrate pair of the light emission reaction has not been isolated. It was suggested that luminescence of fungi involves oxidase-type enzymes, and reactive oxygen species are important for fungal light production. Generation of reactive oxygen species can be stimulated by ionizing irradiation, which has not been studied for luminous fungi. We report the effect of X-irradiation on the luminescence of fungus Neonothopanus nambi . Experiments were performed with mycelium on a home-built setup based on an X-ray tube and monochromator/photomultiplier tube. Application of X-rays does not change the emission spectrum, but after approximately 20 min of continuous irradiation, light production from unsupported mycelium starts growing and increases up to approximately five times. After peaking, its level decreases irrespective of the presence of X-irradiation. After staying at a certain level, light production collapses to zero, which is not related to the drying of the mycelium or thermal impact of radiation. The observed shape of kinetics is characteristic of a multistage and/or chain reaction. The time profile of light production must reflect the current levels of radicals present in the system and/or the activity of enzyme complexes involved in light production. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

There are higher fungi that emit visible light; however, little is known about their requirements for good growth and bright luminescence. Knowledge of these requirements is extremely important for maintaining fungal cultures in laboratory conditions and preparation of luminous mycelia for research purposes. Luminous higher fungi Panellus stipticus, Armillaria sp. and Neonothopanus nambi isolated from different climatic areas and maintained in CCIBSO 836 (Collection of IBP SB RAS, Russia) were used for experiments. Techniques for static and submerged cultivation of mycelia of higher fungi have been developed and optimized for the production of samples of aerial and globular mycelia with prolonged and stable luminescence. We investigated the growth characteristics and luminescence of mycelia cultivated in/on different nutrient media, and the effects of deionized water and mechanical damage on the light emission of mycelia. An increase in luminescence intensity of fungal mycelia can be obtained during cultivation of fungi on a nutrient medium with a certain composition. A significant increase in light emission from N. nambi mycelium can also be obtained after its incubation in water and mechanical damage. The light emission from N. nambi mycelium was greatly enhanced after these treatments, in contrast to the mycelia of Armillaria sp. or P. stipticus. Cultivation conditions that enable growing mycelia with high levels of luminescence will expedite further studies to gain a better understanding of fungal bioluminescence.

Bioluminescent analysis is one of the most promising express methods for biologically monitoring the environment because the luminescent system is highly sensitive to even micro quantities of pollutants. Bioassays based on luminous bacteria give an integral estimation of toxicity and frequently surpass other known bioassays in speed, accuracy, sensitivity and simplicity. The enzymes of bacterial luminescent system are also used in developing highly sensitive analytical methods for practical purposes. This paper considers the main features of bacterial bioluminescence and isolated luminescent system, and also the applications of bioluminescence. One part reviews the investigations on the influence of different chemical substances on bacterial luminescence, development and using of bioluminescent bioassays, in particular some of them, in environmental monitoring of several regions in Russia. Luminous bacteria strains from the Culture Collection of Institute of Biophysics SB RAS (CCIBSO 836) are successfully used to produce new or improved bioassays based on lyophilized bacteria bearing the lux gene. Such bioassays are suitable for biotesting of water, air, soil, and the chemical substances used in everyday life. The «know-how» of kits for bioluminescent analysis and bioassays based on lyophilized natural luminous bacteria P.phosphoreum and recombinant Е.соli strain with cloned lux genes is developed. The bioluminescent assay has certificate and is recommended as an additional method of ecological monitoring in parallel with the other bioassays. The sensitivity of the bioassays developed in the IBP SB RAS is comparable to that of the foreign analogues Microtox©TM, ToxAlert©TM, etc.

The ability of marine luminescent bacteria to synthesize polyesters of hydroxycarboxylic acids (polyhydroxyalkanoates, PHA) as reserve macromolecules was studied. Twenty strains from the collection of the luminescent bacteria CCIBSO (WDCM839) of the Institute of Biophysics, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, assigned to different taxa ( Photobacterium leiognathi, Ph. phosphoreum, Vibrio harveyi , and V. fischeri ) were analyzed. The most productive strains were identified, and the conditions ensuring high polymer yields in batch culture (40–70% of the cell dry mass weight) were determined. The capacity for synthesizing two-and three-component polymers containing hydroxybutyric acid as the main monomer and hydroxyvaleric and hydroxyhexanoic acids was revealed in Ph. leiognathi and V. harveyi strains. The results allow luminescent microorganisms to be regarded as new producers of multicomponent polyhydroxyalkanoates.

The database of luminescent bacteria stored in the IBSO collection is one of the metasections of BIOLUMBASE. A logical schema of the metasection “Natural luminescent organisms”, classification of entities, and methods of attribute presentation have been developed. The database of luminescent bacteria maintained in the IBSO collection is being widened by findings of the collection staff as well as by information from scientific literature. The expectant contents of the database will be useful for resolving various problems of microbial ecology and biotechnology which deal with luminescent bacteria, luminescent system derived from them, and lux-genes cloned to other organisms. A potential user would be able not only to access cataloged data on strains but also to get information on properties, functions, use, and bibliography and to perform an attribute-match search of a strain.

Исследована способность морских светящихся бактерий синтезировать в качестве резервных макромолекул полиэфиры гидроксикарбоновых кислот (полигидроксиалканоаты, ПГА). Проанализировано 20 штаммов из коллекции светящихся бактерий CCIBSO (WDCM836) Института биофизики СО РАН, относящихся к различным таксонам (Photobacterium leiognathi, Ph. phosphoreum, Vibrio harveyi, V. fischeri). Выделены наиболее продуктивные штаммы, и определены условия, обеспечивающие высокие выходы полимера в периодической культуре (40–70% к весу сухого вещества клетки). Обнаружена способность представителей Ph. leiognathi и V. harveyi синтезировать двух- и трехкомпонентные полимеры, содержащие в качестве основного мономера гидроксимасляную кислоту и в качестве минорных – гидроксивалериановую и гидроксигексановую кислоты. Результаты позволяют рассматривать светящиеся микроорганизмы в качестве нового продуцента многокомпонентных полигидроксиалканоатов.