Appeal No. 2001-2500
Application No. 08/590,729
We affirm the rejection of claims 1 and 5-9 but reverse the rejection of
claims 2-4.
Background
The specification discloses a “method of synthesizing a fluorescently
labeled protein in a cell-free protein synthesis system.” Page 1. Specifically,
“coumarin-maleimidyl-SAcMet-tRNAf (CPM-SAcMet-tRNAf) was incorporated into
the N-terminus of nascent polypeptides that were synthesized on ribosomes in a
bacterial cell-free coupled transcription/translation system.” Page 2. Then
“[f]luorescence techniques were used to monitor changes in the local
environment and mobility of the N-terminal probe and in turn effects of the
chaperones on folding, activation and release of the nascent or full-length
polypeptides from the ribosomes.” Id.
Discussion
1. The rejection of claims 1 and 5 -9.
The claims subject to each rejection stand or fall together. See the Appeal
Brief, page 5. We therefore limit our consideration of this rejection to claim 1, the
broadest claim subject to this rejection. Claim 1 is directed to a method of
making a fluorescently labeled protein, comprising incubating plasmid DNA
encoding the protein of interest with a sample of ribosomes in a prokaryotic
coupled transcription/translation system, together with an aminoacyl tRNA having
a fluorescent label. The method also includes steps of partially purifying the
newly synthesized, fluorescently labeled protein away from other fluorescent
3
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