Bioluminescence generated by luciferase and luciferin has been extensively used in biological research. However, detecting signals from deep tissues in vivo poses a challenge to traditional methods. To overcome this, the Akaluc and AkaLumine bioluminescent systems were developed, resulting in improved signal detection. We evaluate the potential of Akaluc/AkaLumine in Drosophila melanogaster to establish a highly sensitive, non-invasive, and temporal detection method for gene expression. Our results show that oral administration of AkaLumine to flies expressing Akaluc provided a higher luminescence signal than Luc/D-luciferin, with no observed harmful effects on flies. The Akaluc/AkaLumine system allows for monitoring of dynamic temporal changes in gene expression. Additionally, using the Akaluc fusion gene allows for mRNA splicing monitoring. Our findings indicate that the Akaluc/AkaLumine system is a powerful bioluminescence tool for analyzing gene expression in deep tissues and small numbers of cells in Drosophila.
© 2023. The Author(s).