Red-shifted Renilla reniformis luciferase variants for imaging in living subjects

The use of R. reniformis luciferase ( RLuc) as a reporter gene in small- animal imaging has been hampered by its 481 nm peaked emission spectrum, as blue wavelengths are strongly attenuated in biological tissues. To overcome this, we generated variants of RLuc with bathochromic ( red) shifts of up to 66 nm ( 547 nm peak) that also had greater stability and higher light emission than native RLuc.