How does Renilla luciferase work?

Renilla luciferase is an enzyme used as a reporter gene for studying gene regulation and function in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, Renilla luciferase catalyzes the oxidative decarboxylation of coelenterazine (Renilla luciferin) in the presence of O₂, resulting in the emission of blue light, and the formation of oxyluciferin and CO₂ as the reaction products. In vivo, the transfer of energy from oxyluciferin to Renilla results in the emission of green light with an emission maximum of 509 nm. Renilla luciferase commonly is used in multiplex transcriptional reporter assays or as a normalizing transfection control for firefly luciferase assays. The enzyme does not require post-translational modification for its activity and may function as a genetic reporter immediately following translation.