**Acknowledgements**

We thank Prof. H. Kuwayama (Tsukuba University, Japan) for providing the materials needed in the *Dictyostelium discoideum* experiments, offering valuable advice, and allotting time for discussion. We also thank our colleagues at Olympus Corporation for providing technical assistance during the development of the LV200 bioluminescence microscope.

This work was conducted in association with Nimura Genetic Solutions and Perak State Development Corporation for luciferase gene cloning under a contract with the Convention on Biological Diversity in Malaysia. This research did not receive grants from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or non-profit sectors.
