Lighting Up the Room: Exploring the World of Bioluminescent Plants

By LMG Calla Victoria

      Natural lighting is about to take on a whole new meaning if the scientists at Glowing Plant have their way. They have created glow-in-the-dark plant material, yes plants that light up when the sun goes down. So forget the solar garden lights, pathway lights, and solar flower pots that illuminate your gardens by night, just plant some glow-in-the-dark plants.  And save on your utility bills with glow-in-the-dark plants instead of night lights in the home. Can you imagine buying a potted glow-in-the-dark Christmas tree, no more untangling and stringing lights! This is a case of life definitely imitating art, the ethereal glowing forest featured in the movie Avatar will be coming to a backyard near you very soon. Yes, fiction has become fact and as Glowing Plant C.E.O. Anthony Evan says, “We are only limited by our imagination!”

C.E.O. Anthony Evan

     A few years old the San Francisco-based, Kickstarter funded, company Glowing Plant is propelling botany light-years into the future. Their team of Stanford-trained Plant science Gurus, using synthetic biology, have combined the DNA of those wonderful light bugs (fireflies), with plants and with luminescent marine bacterium Vibrio fischeri to create bioluminescent or glow-in-the-dark plants.

      The first step in the process was to extract the luminescent DNA from the marine life and fireflies. Then the teams manipulated the DNA via Do-It-Yourself Bio Labs in California. Then they had DNA sequences designed online on a computer using special Biocad software then they made the DNA sequences using DNA laser printing…..What, are you kidding me? Then those newly engineered DNA sequences had to be rewritten so that plant life could interpret them.  Finally, the DNA genes were introduced to plant material. 

Glowing Arabidopsis thaliana seedling    

The host plant of choice in these amazing experiments is the Arabidopsis thaliana, which is a small flowering plant that is widely used as a model organism in plant biology. Arabidopsis is a self-pollinating herb and a member of the mustard (Brassicaceae) family. Arabidopsis offers important advantages for basic research in genetics and molecular biology because of its extensive genetic and physical maps of all 5 chromosomes.  Most importantly, Arabidopsis has a very short life cycle about six weeks from germination to seed maturation and because they are self-pollinating many seeds can be harvested very quickly. Glow Plant’s science gurus, using a gene gun filled with high-pressure helium, blast the newly created and rewritten DNA sequences into the small plant cells of the Arabidopsis on a petri dish. The sequence contains luciferase, the light-emitting compound found within fireflies. Only less than 1 percent of the plants accept the genes, but the ones that do mature and start emitting light after two months.

      As a Master Gardener, I am amazed and in awe of these new agricultural creations.   The concept of electricity without electricity but through vegetation is mind-boggling. Imagine glowing trees someday lighting up the night creating luminous vistas and saving cities millions by discarding street lights.  Most large trees like oaks take years to reach their mature heights, but perhaps the Plant Science gurus will start experimenting with fast-growing trees like angels trumpets, one of my favorites.

        Imagination, innovation, and sustainability are the fuel that makes the Glow Plant project a success. The company has raised over $600,000 in pre-orders for these fascinating plant innovations, and yes you better believe my pre-order is in that number.  Glowingplant.com 

Remember, never get too busy to stop and enjoy the beautiful flowers!