This discovery is a significant milestone toward figuring out whether plants can natively produce all the molecules required for light emission. It also means that the glow of bioluminescent plants can now be more closely aligned with their internal biology.

The technology reported in the paper is a hybrid pathway that couples the newly found plant hispidin synthases to other necessary bioluminescence enzymes found in mushrooms. This hybrid pathway allows the subtle inner rhythms and dynamics within plants to be unveiled as an ever-changing display of living light.

"This technology is a plug-and-play tool to visualize virtually any molecular physiology at the organismal level, completely non-invasively," Sarkisyan states. His work also revealed that not only does a single indigenous plant gene effectively substitute for two fungal genes, the plant gene is notably smaller and has simpler biological requirements for luminescence. The gene's reduced size also enhances its usability and flexibility, making it more adaptable for extended applications.

This research was sponsored by Light Bio, a plant synthetic biology company co-founded by Sarkisyan, which aims to transform the horticulture industry with beautiful biotech creations, such as glowing plants. The first product to exploit the hispidin-based pathway is Firefly Petunia, so named because its bright light-emitting flower buds resemble fireflies.