Characteristics of the response of natural and recombinant luminescent microorganisms in the presence of Fe2+ ions

It was found that divalent iron ions have alternative effects on the bioluminescence of the natural marine microorganism Photobacterium phosphoreum and the recombinant Escherichia coli strain with a cloned lux operon of P. leiognathi. In the presence of 0.25–5.0 mM FeSO₄, the bioluminescence intensity of the former and the latter increased and decreased, respectively. To establish the causes of these differences, we studied the characteristics of the fatty acid composition of the compared microorganisms. The fatty acid profile of E. coli was characterized by a high proportion of unsaturated 11-octadecenoic (vaccenic) acid. A study of this acid in a cell-free enzyme system used for bioluminescence generation showed that it is a potent inhibitor of bacterial bioluminescence. It was found that such effects are enhanced if 11-octadecenoid acid is preincubated with Fe²⁺.