Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Photoreceptors and Plant Responses to Light02:00

Photoreceptors and Plant Responses to Light

28.1K
Light plays a significant role in regulating the growth and development of plants. In addition to providing energy for photosynthesis, light provides other important cues to regulate a range of developmental and physiological responses in plants.
28.1K
Reporter Genes02:11

Reporter Genes

12.7K
Reporter genes are a type of protein-coding gene that are often tagged to a gene of interest. Once inside a target cell, reporter genes usually produce visually identifiable characteristics like fluorescence and luminescence when expressed along with the gene of interest. Thus, reporter genes “report” the presence or absence of genes of interest in an organism, determine the gene expression pattern, or track the physical location of a DNA segment or protein in the cell.
12.7K
Cell Signaling in Plants01:25

Cell Signaling in Plants

6.1K
Plant cells communicate to coordinate their cycle of growth, flowering and fruiting, and activities in roots, shoots, and leaves in response to the changing environmental conditions. Plant signaling is distinct from animal signaling. Plants primarily utilize enzyme-linked receptors, whereas the largest class of cell-surface receptors in animals are G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). Unlike animals, receptor tyrosine kinases are rare in plants. Instead, plants have a diverse class of...
6.1K
Transgenic Plants02:50

Transgenic Plants

8.3K
Recombinant DNA technology called transgenesis is often used to add a foreign gene or remove a detrimental gene from an organism. Such genetically modified organisms are called transgenic organisms.
The first-ever transgenic plant was a tobacco plant developed in 1983 that showed resistance against the tobacco mosaic virus. Since then, many transgenic plants have been developed and commercialized for improving the agricultural, ornamental, and horticultural value of a crop plant. Transgenic...
8.3K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Mechano-reprogramming of tumor-associated macrophages by engineering nanogel stiffness for suppression of tumor development.

Journal of nanobiotechnology·2026
Same author

A Fungal Bioluminescent Pathway (FBP)-Based Yeast Biosensor for Caffeic Acid Quantification in Food and Beverages.

ACS sensors·2026
Same author

Shine bright, then fight: lectin-decorated gold nanostars for cancer theranostics.

European journal of pharmaceutics and biopharmaceutics : official journal of Arbeitsgemeinschaft fur Pharmazeutische Verfahrenstechnik e.V·2026
Same author

Bioluminescent sentinel plants enable autonomous diagnostics of viral infections.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Marine Antimicrobial Peptide as a Promising Alternative to Polymyxin B.

Marine drugs·2026
Same author

Caffeylpyruvate hydrolase from the bioluminescent fungus Neonothopanus gardneri is the key recycling enzyme in the fungal bioluminescence pathway.

The FEBS journal·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 23, 2025

Light Sheet Fluorescence Microscopy of Plant Roots Growing on the Surface of a Gel
06:41

Light Sheet Fluorescence Microscopy of Plant Roots Growing on the Surface of a Gel

Published on: January 18, 2017

15.2K

Plants with genetically encoded autoluminescence.

Tatiana Mitiouchkina1,2, Alexander S Mishin1,2, Louisa Gonzalez Somermeyer3

  • 1Planta LLC, Moscow, Russia.

Nature Biotechnology
|April 29, 2020
PubMed
Summary

Scientists engineered tobacco plants to glow using a fungal bioluminescence system. This novel approach converts caffeic acid into light, creating self-sustained luminescence visible to the naked eye for potential plant imaging tools.

More Related Videos

Bioluminescent Optogenetics 2.0: Harnessing Bioluminescence to Activate Photosensory Proteins In Vitro and In Vivo
07:19

Bioluminescent Optogenetics 2.0: Harnessing Bioluminescence to Activate Photosensory Proteins In Vitro and In Vivo

Published on: August 4, 2021

5.2K
In Situ Measurement and Correlation of Cell Density and Light Emission of Bioluminescent Bacteria
05:52

In Situ Measurement and Correlation of Cell Density and Light Emission of Bioluminescent Bacteria

Published on: June 28, 2018

12.1K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Dec 23, 2025

Light Sheet Fluorescence Microscopy of Plant Roots Growing on the Surface of a Gel
06:41

Light Sheet Fluorescence Microscopy of Plant Roots Growing on the Surface of a Gel

Published on: January 18, 2017

15.2K
Bioluminescent Optogenetics 2.0: Harnessing Bioluminescence to Activate Photosensory Proteins In Vitro and In Vivo
07:19

Bioluminescent Optogenetics 2.0: Harnessing Bioluminescence to Activate Photosensory Proteins In Vitro and In Vivo

Published on: August 4, 2021

5.2K
In Situ Measurement and Correlation of Cell Density and Light Emission of Bioluminescent Bacteria
05:52

In Situ Measurement and Correlation of Cell Density and Light Emission of Bioluminescent Bacteria

Published on: June 28, 2018

12.1K

Area of Science:

  • Plant biotechnology
  • Bioluminescence
  • Synthetic biology

Background:

  • Previous attempts at autoluminescent plants using bacterial systems yielded low light output, limiting practical applications.
  • Bioluminescence requires a luciferin substrate and a luciferase enzyme to produce light.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To engineer plants with a fungal bioluminescence system for enhanced light output.
  • To develop a self-sustained bioluminescent system in plants utilizing endogenous compounds.
  • To explore the potential of these engineered plants as novel imaging tools.

Main Methods:

  • Engineered tobacco plants to express a fungal bioluminescence gene cluster in plastids.
  • Utilized the fungal system's ability to convert endogenous caffeic acid into a luciferin substrate.
  • Assessed luminescence using naked-eye observation and potentially other imaging techniques.

Main Results:

  • Achieved self-sustained bioluminescence in engineered tobacco plants.
  • The fungal system successfully converted plant-derived caffeic acid into light-emitting compounds.
  • Luminescence was visible to the naked eye, indicating a significant improvement over previous bacterial systems.

Conclusions:

  • Fungal bioluminescence systems offer a promising alternative for engineering autoluminescent plants with higher light output.
  • This approach enables the development of plants that generate their own light-emitting substrate.
  • Engineered bioluminescent plants could serve as valuable, non-invasive tools for plant research and imaging.