Glowee’s projectFor this second semester, I started an internship in the startup Glowee! You maybe know this startup [4], which started to work with the OpenLab and the CRI. But I will tell you more about it! Everything starts in a design school in 2013 where Sandra Rey and Maelle Chassard participate to the competition Prix ArtScience. Their project was retained for it ecological and economical interest. It is their first win and the beginning of the Glowee’s story. This startup offers a 100% ecological public lighting system made from bioluminescent organisms. Which is very interesting, given that in France in 2014 the global consumption of electricity for lighting was 12%. And this number increases year after year. So there is a real need to change how we consume energy. Glowee’s team decided to create a kind of sticker, containing the bioluminescent organisms, to light showcases. For the next few years, they plan to create lightings in urban landscapes, as signage, buildings or special events. The amazing bioluminescent mechanismsSo as you understood, bioluminescence is the production and emission of cold light by living organisms (because less than 20% of the light generates heat). [2] A lot of organisms are able to produce bioluminescence, as calmars, fishes, fireflies, dinoflagellates or bacteria. In fact, there are more than 700 identified species!This phenomenon is mostly present in animals of the dark seabed, used to locate or attract their prey. Most of the light emissions belong to green-blue spectrum, giving this blue light. This wavelength can be transmitted easily through water. Pictures of dinoflagellates, an example of a bioluminescent organism, and the sea lightened by bioluminescence with it. aqueros.blogspot.com , http://blog.surf-prevention.com/2012/04/06/bioluminescence-vagues-lumiere-bleue/ But how is produced this amazing light? There is 3 different “type” of bioluminescence [6]. The first one is intracellular, generated by specialized cells of pluricellular organisms, the photocyte cells. This light is emitted towards the exterior through the skin. Also, some fish possess guanine plaques to intensify the light. The responsible organs are named photophores, composed by glandular cells, reflectors and rods that direct the light towards a single large cell that acts as a crystalline lens. The enzymatic reaction which releases the photons occurs from the glandular cells. The second kind of bioluminescence is extracellular, [2] allowed by an enzymatic reaction. The emitted light is the result of an enzyme, the luciferase, on the luciferin molecules. This catalyzed reaction needs ATP and dioxygen. The light production occurs during the oxidation phase of luciferin. You can see the following reaction equation: (Luciferin + ATP) + (Luciferase + O²) => Oxyluciferin + Photons After this synthesis, the substance is stocked in the glands of the skin or under it. After, the organism ejects it and produces light clouds. This kind of bioluminescence concern some species of crustaceans, abyssal cephalopods and fireflies. The last kind is symbiosis with bacteria, utilized during this project. This is the most common mechanism for bioluminescence. As a reminder, the symbiosis is the “Interaction between two different organisms living in close physical association, typically to the advantage of both” (according to https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/symbiosis ) So, animals have small vesicles in their body, called photophores, containing bioluminescent bacteria! These two organisms live together and produce light when the number of bacteria is high. Euprymna scolopes and Vibrio fischeri, a long love storyIn this project, we studied the symbiosis [3] between Euprymna scolopes, a tiny cuttlefish from Hawaii and Vibrio fischeri a marine bacteria. This exclusive relationship allows the cuttlefish to be “invisible” for the nocturne predators. In fact, from the top you can see blue sparklings, but from the bottom, the cuttlefish becomes a furtive prey. It allows the cuttlefish to hunt shrimps and worms. Also, the unique goal of the Vibrio fischeri is growth. But without Euprymna scolopes, the bacteria could not use the nutrients inside the host and use this favorable environment for its own growth. The cuttlefish regulates the luminescence by regulating the number of bacteria, evicting them when necessary. So both organisms play a role in the survival of the other one. Picture of bioluminescent Euprymna scolopes, source; https://bionique.artbite.fr/Seiches-et-calmars-lumineux.html Glowee’s work and teasingIn this project, the team study the genes of Vibrio fischeri, the lux genes, a complex mechanism to produce light. In fact, the goal is the amelioration of the light intensity, the time of light, and the culture conditions. So, in the next post, I will tell you more about these genes and the magical symbiosis between Euprymna scolopes and Vibrio fischeri, because I only explained a part of the story [5]! If you like TED conferences and you are fascinated by bioluminescence, watch the video of the conference made by Sandra Ray, director of Glowee! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=789IeXkOUfM More links if you are interested by this Start-up, take a look at the website! http://www.glowee.eu/ References[1] Engebrecht, J. and Silverman, M. (1984). Identification of genes and gene products necessary for bacterial bioluminescence. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 81(13), pp.4154-4158.
[2] Annual Review of Microbiology, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California, (1977). BACTERIAL BIOLUMINESCENCE. [3] Mulot, R. (2017). Comment une seiche lilliputienne éclaire la recherche. [online] Sciences et Avenir. Available at: https://www.sciencesetavenir.fr/nature-environnement/comment-une-seiche-lilliputienne-eclaire-la-recherche_15466 [Accessed 20 Feb. 2017]. [4] Glowee, enlightened by the sea. (2017). [online] Glowee, enlightened by the sea. Available at: http://www.glowee.eu/ [Accessed 20 Feb. 2017]. [5] Des bactéries bioluminescentes contrôlent l’horloge interne d’un calmar. (2017). [online] Futura. Available at: http://www.futura-sciences.com/planete/actualites/zoologie-bacteries-bioluminescentes-controlent-horloge-interne-calmar-45611/ [Accessed 20 Feb. 2017]. [6] Bioluminescence - Chemistry Encyclopedia - reaction, molecule, Beetles/Fireflies, Dinoflagellates, Bacteria. (2017). [online] Chemistryexplained.com. Available at: http://www.chemistryexplained.com/Ar-Bo/Bioluminescence.html [Accessed 20 Feb. 2017].
7 Comments
Noémie
24/2/2017 05:07:32 am
Hello Hortense !!
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Hortense
24/2/2017 05:22:41 am
Hello Noémie,
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Noémie
24/2/2017 05:29:48 am
Oook thanks ! "E.Coli" was the missing information, now everything seems way more clear
Pauline Gasquet
3/3/2017 07:37:54 am
Hello Hortense,
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Hortense
7/3/2017 02:49:42 am
Hello Pauline,
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Fairouz
7/4/2017 01:37:45 pm
Hello Hortense!
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Hortense
20/4/2017 06:24:41 am
Dear Fairouz,
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