Appeal No. 1999-1774
Application No. 08/487,183
1. A synthetic mutant beetle luciferase comprising an amino acid
sequence that differs from that of the corresponding wild-type
luciferase by at least o ne amino acid substitution, the position of the
amino acid substitution corresponding to a position in the amino
acid substitution corresponding to a position in the amino acid
sequence of LucPplGR of SEQ ID NO: 2 selected from the group
consisting of position 215, 224, 232, 236, 237, 242, 244, 245, 248,
282, 283 and 348, wherein the mutant luciferase produces
bioluminescence having a shift in wavelength of peak intensity of at
least 1 nanometer relative to the bioluminescence produced by the
wild-type luciferase.
33. A synthetic mutant beetle luciferase comprising an amino acid
sequence that differs from that of the corresponding wild-type
luciferase by at least one amino acid substitution, the position of the
amino acid substitution corresponding to a position in the amino
acid sequence of LucPplGR of SEQ ID NO:2 selected from the
group consisting of LucPplGR- -R223L, -R223Q, -R223M, -R223H, -
L238R, -L238M, L238Q, -L238S, -L238D, -S247H, -S247T, -S247Y, -S247F;
wherein the mutant luciferase produces bioluminescence having a
shift in wavelength of peak intensity of at least 1 nanometer relative
to the bioluminescence produced by the wild-type luciferase.
The examiner relies on the following references:
Wood et al. (Wood 1989) “Bioluminescent Click Beetles Revisited,” Journal of
Bioluminescence and Chemiluminescence Vol. 4, pp. 31-39 (1989)
Wood (Wood dissertation) “Luciferases of Luminous Beetles: Evolution,
Color Variation, and Applications,” Ph.D. dissertation, University of California at
San Diego, 1989.
Claims 1-17, 20-23, 25-27, 29, and 33 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C.
§ 103 as obvious over the Wood dissertation and Wood 1989.
We reverse.
Background
The specification reports that several luciferase-encoding cDNAs have
been isolated from the beetle Pyrophorus plagiophthalamus. See page 8 (citing
the Wood dissertation). These naturally occurring luciferases vary slightly in their
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