Appeal No. 2005-0147
Application No. 10/203,081
The specification (page 2) discloses that
Viral infection of host cells, and replication therein, is often associated with
inhibition of apoptosis to enable viral replication and the subsequent stimulation
[of] apoptosis of the host cells for viral particle release. Certain viral gene
products have been shown to specifically inhibit or induce apoptosis. However,
many viruses additionally encode proteins that inhibit apoptosis, prolonging the
survival of infected cells and thereby aiding viral replication or viral persistence in
the host.
The appellant is said to have identified certain non-structural proteins (NSs) of
viruses of the family Bunyaviridae which have sequence similarity with the D.
melanogaster reaper protein and which are capable of activating cellular apoptotic
pathways. Specification, pp. 4-5 and 7; Brief II, p. 3. Specifically, the aforementioned
proteins are said to be capable of activating caspases in a vertebrate cell-based assay.
Id. Cellular death by apoptosis is said to be generally executed by a family of proteases
known as caspases. Specification, p. 4.
The present invention is directed to a method of screening a compound to
determine its affect on caspase activation induced by a viral reaper protein which
involves the use of an isolated viral reaper protein (i) comprising an amino acid
sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOS:2-17; (ii) which has at
least 50% sequence similarity with SEQ ID NO:2, and which is capable of inducing
caspase activation in a vertebrate cell; or (iii) which has at least 75% sequence
similarity with SEQ ID NO:2, and which is capable of inducing caspase activation in a
vertebrate cell.
Discussion
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