Single bacterial cell detection using a mutant luciferase
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Updated: Jul 7, 2026
High-throughput Functional Screening using a Homemade Dual-glow Luciferase Assay
Published on: June 1, 2014
Kenichi Noda1, Tadahiro Matsuno, Hiroya Fujii
1Interdisciplinary Research on Integration of Semiconductor and Biotechnology, Hiroshima University, 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima, 739-8530, Japan. noda@hiroshima-u.ac.jp
Abstract:
Previously, we constructed a genetically modified luciferase of Photinus pyralis that generates more than 10-fold higher luminescence intensity than the wild-type enzyme. In this study, we demonstrate that this modified luciferase enables us to detect ATP at 10(-18) mol, which is almost equal to the quantity contained in a single bacterial cell. Consequently,we have been able to detect bacterial contamination in samples as low as one colony-forming unit (c.f.u.) for both Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis.
