Description: The BioLux Cypridina Luciferase Starter Kit contains a set of Cypridina Luciferase- expressing vectors and the reagents necessary for assaying the Cypridina Luciferase (CLuc) activity. The pSV40-CLuc Control Plasmid is a mammalian expression vector encoding the secreted Cypridina Luciferase from the Ostracod Cypridinanoctiluca (1,2) under the control of the constitutive SV40 promoter. pSV40-CLuc is typically used as a control to determine transfection efficiency. The pCLuc-Basic 2 Vector lacking promoter elements is a cloning vector for mammalian expression. pCLuc-Basic contains a multiple cloning site (MCS) upstream of the CLuc coding sequence. In addition, the neomycin resistance gene in the pCLuc-Basic cloning vector allows selection for stable integration of the plasmid into the mammalian cell genome.
Cypridina Luciferase is a 62 kDa protein with a native signal peptide at the N-terminus allowing it to be secreted from mammalian cells. This luciferase does not require ATP and catalyzes the oxidation of its luciferin substrate in a photochemical reaction (Figure 1). The substrate for Cypridina is different than coelenterazine, which is the common substrate of other marine luciferases including Renilla and Gaussia.