▁luc ifer in - binding ▁protein . ▁More ▁recently , ▁the ▁lab ▁found ▁that ▁the ▁luc ifer ase ▁gene ▁in ▁L ing ul od in ium ▁poly ed rum ▁and ▁other ▁closely ▁related ▁species ▁contains ▁three ▁hom olog ous ▁and ▁cont igu ous ▁repeated ▁sequences ▁in ▁a ▁kind ▁of ▁" three - ring ▁circ us ▁with ▁the ▁same ▁act ▁in ▁all ▁three ." ▁However , ▁another ▁lum ines cent , ▁but ▁heter ot roph ic , ▁din of lag ell ate , ▁No ct il uca ▁sc int ill ans , ▁has ▁but ▁a ▁single ▁protein , ▁which ▁appears ▁to ▁possess ▁both ▁catal yt ic ▁and ▁substr ate ▁binding ▁properties ▁in ▁a ▁single , ▁rather ▁than ▁separate ▁prote ins . ▁ ▁Din of lag ell ate ▁Circ ad ian ▁Rh yth ms : ▁Using ▁L ing ul od in ium ▁poly ed rum ▁as ▁a ▁model , ▁H ast ings ▁spe ar head ed ▁our ▁understanding ▁of ▁the ▁mole cular ▁mechan isms ▁involved ▁in ▁control ▁of ▁circ ad ian ▁rh yth ms , ▁which ▁in ▁humans ▁are ▁involved ▁in ▁sleep , ▁jet - lag ▁and ▁other ▁daily ▁activities . ▁His ▁lab ▁has ▁shown ▁that ▁the ▁rh ythm ▁of ▁bi ol um ines c ence ▁involves ▁a ▁daily ▁synth esis ▁and ▁destruction ▁of ▁prote ins . ▁Because ▁the ▁m R N As ▁that ▁code ▁for ▁these ▁prote ins ▁remain ▁un changed ▁from ▁day ▁to ▁night , ▁the ▁synth esis ▁of ▁these ▁prote ins ▁is ▁controlled ▁at ▁the ▁transl ational ▁level . ▁This ▁work ▁has