THE MESSENGER-RNA LEVEL OF THE CIRCADIAN REGULATED GONYAULAX LUCIFERASE REMAINS CONSTANT OVER THE CYCLE

The expression of luciferin-binding protein (LBP) and luciferase (LCF) , two proteins that are involved in bioluminescence in Gonyaulax polye dra, is controlled by a cellular circadian clock. In the case of LBP, its temporal expression is reported to be regulated at the translation al level, involving both 5' and 3' untranslated regions (UTRs) of lbp mRNA. Here, we show that the amounts of lcf mRNA are constant througho ut the day-night cycle, indicating that the circadian expression of LC F is also regulated at the translational level.