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What is Bioluminescence?
Bioluminescence is a natural phenomenon in Many marine animals like jellyfish , dragon-
which an organism produces and emits light fish , fungi etc also show this phenomenona.
due to a chemical energy is converted into Do you know plants and bacteria have very
light energy. The sparkle of fireflies on a similar DNA perhaps this means scientists can
summer night is produced as a result of a use glowing bacteria DNA to make plants
chemical reaction in their glowing abdomens. glow.
What is nanobionic plant and how it works?
Michael Strano, Professor of Chemical In this research, silica nanoparticles
Engineering, Seon-Yeong Kwak, post-doctoral of approximately ten nanometers in diameter
researcher, and the research team at Massachusetts have been used to carry the luciferase enzyme.
Institute of Technology (MIT), have incorpo- However, poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA)
rated specific nanoparticles into the leaves of a polymers were used to carry luciferin and
watercress plant (Nasturtium officinale), chitosan for Co - enzyme A.
which resulted in the emission of soft light for
almost four hours. These nanoparticles were suspended in a
solution and the plants were immersed in them.
The light is emitted when the enzyme luciferase They were then exposed to high pressure so that
interacts with a molecule called luciferin. the nanoparticles could enter the leaves of the
Co-enzyme A also assists this process by plant through stomata (tiny pores).
removing byproducts that have an inhibiting
effect on luciferase activity. Each of these three The particles carrying the luciferase
components is packed into a different type of enzyme are designed to enter the mesophyll
nanoparticle carrier. These selected nanoparticles cells of the leaves, whereas particles carrying the
are classified as safe by luciferin and coenzyme A
the U.S. Food and Drug accumulate in the
Administration. The extracellular space of the
nanocarriers not only mesophyll.
help each component
to reach the targeted The luciferin is gradually
part of the plant, but released from the PLGA
they also prevent the particles and enters the
components from plant cell, where a chemical
reaching the threshold reaction performed by
level that could be luciferase makes luciferin
toxic to the plants. glow.
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