Skogsbergia lerneri

Skogsbergia lerneri luciferase homolog

Skogsbergia lerneri is a non-luminescent myodocopid ostracod that lives in the Caribbean, from the same family (Cypridinidae) as multiple bioluminescent species.

To use Skogsbergia lerneri in the 'convergent luciferase' project, the goal is to isolate a homolog of the luciferase gene, and express the S. lerneri gene in cell culture to test whether it catalyzes a light reaction when mixed with luciferase.

Steps completed thus far:

1. 454 Sequencing of specimens from Florida Keys was completed. The sequencing was done from Median Eyes and Compound Eyes only. (We expect homologs to be expressed at the upper lip, the site of luciferase excretion.)
2. The 454 transcriptome is assembled in Galaxy, with a shared history called Skogsbergia Eyes [1]