Effects of aldehyde and internal ions on bioluminescence expression of Photobacterium phosphoreum

In a complex medium, cells of Photobacterium phosphoreum (strain 496) grow equally well with 1% and 3% NaCl, but luminescence occurs only with 3% NaCl in the medium. However, the suppression of luminescence is not attributable to the lack of luciferase; log phase cells growing in 1% NaCl will develop luminescence following a shift to 3% NaCl, which is accompanied by an increase of intracellular potassium. Tetradecanal stimulates bioluminescence in a 1% NaCl culture, and also in the presence of nalidixic acid, an inhibitor or gyrase. It is thus suggested that the suppression of luminescence in 1% NaCl or in 3% NaCl with nalidixic acid is due to a deficiency in the synthesis of intracellular aldehyde. The increase in intracellular potassium that occurs upon shifting from 1% to 3% NaCl may also relate to aldehyde synthesis gene expression via activation of gyrase, or via an increase in negative supercoiling of the chromosome. However, since an initial decrease of light intensity is still observed during culture even with the addition of tetradecanal, an additional factor related to cell density must also be involved in bioluminescence expression.Abbreviations nal nalidixic acid - nal-r nalidixic acid resistant strain