Toxicity of the bacterial luciferase substrate, n-decyl aldehyde, to Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Caenorhabditis elegans

This study determined that the bacterial luciferase fusion gene (luxAB) was not a suitable in vivo gene reporter in the model eukaryotic organisms Sac charomyces cerevisiae and Caenorhabditis elegans. LuxAB expressing S. cerev isiae strains displayed distinctive rapid decays in luminescence upon addit ion of the bacterial luciferase substrate, n-decyl aldehyde, suggesting a t oxic response. Growth studies and toxicity bioassays have subsequently conf irmed, that the aldehyde substrate was toxic to both organisms at concentra tions well tolerated by Escherichia coh. As the addition of aldehyde is an integral part of the bacterial luciferase activity assay, our results do no t support the use of lux reporter genes for in vivo analyses in these model eukaryotic organisms. (C) 2001 Federation of European Biochemical Societie s. Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.