Ca2+-induced bioluminescence in Renilla reniformis. Purification and characterization of a calcium-triggered luciferin-binding protein.

A Ca2+-triggered luciferin-binding protein (BP-LH2) from the bioluminescent marine coelenterate, Renilla reniformis, has been purified by conventional methods. One kilogram of processed animals yields approximately 2.7 mg of pure protein with an overall yield of 55%. Physicochemical studies show that BP-LH2 is a globular protein containing one single polypeptide chain with one disulfide bond. Ultracentrifugation studies, amino acid analysis, and sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis show that BP-LH2 has an average molecular weight of 18,500. BP-LH2 has a Stokes radius of 23 A, a sedimentation coefficient, S020,w, of 2.3 S, and an isoelectric point of 4.3. The acidic nature of the protein was confirmed by amino acid analysis, which showed that 27% of the residues are acidic. The protein contains no carbohydrate, phosphate, or tryptophan. There is one noncovalently bound molecule of coelenterate type luciferin resulting in distinct protein spectral properties with absorption maxima at 276 nm (epsilon 0.1% 276 = 1.31) and 446 nm (episoln 0.1% 446 = 0.47) and a fluorescence emission at 520 nm (uncorrected). In the presence of Ca2+, BP-LH2 will react with Renilla luciferase to give the characteristic in vitro blue bioluminescence. Ca2+ binding produces a distinct change in the spectral properties of BP-LH2 including a 4-fold enhancement of tyrosine fluorescence at 332 nm and a 5-fold fluorescence enhancement at 520 nm. In addition, the visible absorption maximum shifts from 446 nm to 420 nm. The fluorescence enhancement at 320 nm occurs over the range from 1 to 10 micrometer Ca2+. BP-LH2 has two Ca2+-binding sites with an estimated Kd of 0.02 micrometer, in 10 muM Tris at pH 7.2. BP-LH2 was compared to several well studied Ca2+-binding proteins and was found to possess similar Ca2+-binding and physicochemical properties. This study clearly demonstrates that BP-LH2 is capable of triggering a bioluminescent flash in response to an intracellular Ca2+ transient.