Promega NanoLuc Luciferase

Promega Corporation has announced the launch of a novel luciferase that is claimed to be smaller, brighter and more versatile than any current bioluminescent enzyme. These attributes of the NanoLuc Luciferase provide new capabilities in reporter assays with potential in biologically complex applications that require greater sensitivity.

The product’s technology includes the substrate furimazine and an enzyme, both developed by the company. The product’s small size allows for enhanced viral delivery and protein fusion applications, and it is easily secreted from cells. The enzyme is two orders of magnitude brighter than either firefly (Photinus pyralis) or Renilla reniformis luciferases, resulting in better performance in hard-to-transfect cells.

The product performs in more physiologically relevant models including complex biological samples. With add and measure simplicity and a stable signal, the product can be scaled from benchtop to high-throughput screening applications with no modifications.

To meet the many application needs in a ‘next-gen’ genetic reporter, 12 plasmid versions of the product are available. The offerings include NanoLuc-PEST (NlucP), which closely couples protein expression to changes in transcriptional activity and increased signal-to-background ratios. For a secreted reporter, a NanoLuc Luciferase construct has been prepared by fusion to an N-terminal secretion signal (secNluc). Using the Nano-Glo Luciferase Assay Reagent, luminescence is linear over a 1,000,000-fold concentration range with a signal half-life >2 h.