Development of a Staphylococcus aureus reporter strain with click beetle red luciferase for enhanced in vivo imaging of experimental bacteremia and mixed infections.

ABSTRACT: In vivo bioluminescence imaging has been used to monitor Staphylococcus aureus infections in preclinical models by employing bacterial reporter strains possessing a modified lux operon from Photorhabdus luminescens. However, the relatively short emission wavelength of lux (peak 490 nm) has limited tissue penetration. To overcome this limitation, the gene for the click beetle (Pyrophorus plagiophtalamus) red luciferase (luc) (with a longer >600 emission wavelength), was introduced singly and in combination with the lux operon into a methicillin-resistant S. aureus strain. After administration of the substrate D-luciferin, the luc bioluminescent signal was substantially greater than the lux signal in vitro. The luc signal had enhanced tissue penetration and improved anatomical co-registratio

SUBMITTER: Miller RJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6853927 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature