Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 17, 2026
Application No. 17/081,832

GENES FOR HORMONE-FREE PLANT REGENERATION

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Oct 27, 2020
Priority
May 01, 2018 — EU 18170247.3 +1 more
Examiner
BOGGS, RUSSELL T
Art Unit
1663
Tech Center
1600 — Biotechnology & Organic Chemistry
Assignee
Keygene N V
OA Round
6 (Non-Final)
73%
Grant Probability
Favorable
6-7
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
88%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 73% — above average
73%
Career Allowance Rate
486 granted / 665 resolved
+13.1% vs TC avg
Strong +15% interview lift
Without
With
+15.4%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 10m
Avg Prosecution
24 currently pending
Career history
685
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
11.4%
-28.6% vs TC avg
§103
18.7%
-21.3% vs TC avg
§102
17.7%
-22.3% vs TC avg
§112
40.3%
+0.3% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 665 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first-inventor-to-file provisions of the AIA . Status A restriction requirement was posted on 24 February 2023. Applicant elected without traverse SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:4, SEQ ID NO:28, SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:2 and SEQ ID NO:17 along with Group I in the reply filed on 18 April 2023. Claims 1-3 and 9-20 were examined in an Office action posted on 19 July 2023 with 4-8 withdrawn as being drawn to a non-elected invention. Claim 9 was also examined. Applicant responded on 19 October 2023 adding 4 claims. Claims 22-24 depended from withdrawn claims and thus were also withdrawn. Claims 1-3 and 9-21 as of 19 October 2023 were examined and rejected in an Office action posted on 7 February 2024. Applicant responded after final and an advisory action was posted. Applicant filed an RCE as above adding a new claim. Claims 1-3, 9-21 and 25 were examined and rejected in an Office action posted 26 September 2024. Claims 4-8 and 22-24 remained withdrawn. Applicant responded on 17 December 2024. A new non-final rejection was posted on 9 April 2025 examining claims 1-6, 9-19 and 21-25. The Office action allowed claims 1-6,9-13, 18 and 21-25 but rejected claims 14-17 and 19. No claims were withdrawn. Applicant responded on 7 July 2025. In a Final Rejection posted on 7 October 2025. Claims 1-6, 9-19 and 21-25 were pending. Claims 1-6, 9-13, 16-18 and 21-25 were allowed. (Claim 19 was marked as “allowed” in the Office Action Summary but was rejected in the body of the Office action.) Claims 14, 15 and 19 were rejected in the Office action posted on 7 October 2025. Applicant responded with an RCE and claim amendments plus new claim 26 on 6 January 2026. Claims 1-6, 9-13, 14, 15, 16-18, 19 and 21-25 are pending. Claims 1-6, 9-13, 16-18 and 21-26 are allowed. Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114 A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action was withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. The Office enters Applicant's submission filed on 6 January 2026. Withdrawal of Objections and Rejections The rejection of claim 19 under 35 USC U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph is withdrawn in view of Applicant’s amendments to the claims. Examiner’s Notes Citations to Applicant’s specification are abbreviated herein “Spec.” Occasionally, “SIN:” is used as an abbreviation “SEQ ID NO:” herein. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action: § 103. Conditions for patentability; non-obvious subject matter A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, . . . . if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made. Claims 14,15 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over Alexandrov et al.’s. US Patent Pub. No. 20170037426 A1. in view of Papdi et al. (2008) Plant Physiol. 147(2):528-42. The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 18, 148 USPQ 459, 467 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) are summarized as follows: a. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art. b. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue. c. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art. d. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness. As seen in the first alignment below, instant SEQ ID NO:3 was known in the prior art as SEQ ID NO:3523837 in Alexandrov et al.’s SEQ ID NO:3523837. US Patent Pub. No. 2017/0037426 A1. As seen in the second alignment below, a sequence falling within the scope of the claimed variants of instant SEQ ID NO:4 was known in the prior art as SEQ ID NO 1392711. The same patent publication as the alignment of SEQ ID NO:3 above. Alexandrov et al. teaches that both proteins are from Arabidopsis (para. 0131) Papdi et al. teaches creating Arabidopsis cDNA libraries under the control of a heterologous inducible promoter. Page 529, lower right corner. The authors also cite to the previously cited LeClere & Bartel (2001) (misspelled as “LeClerc in prior Office action). Creating a cDNA library in the experimental plant Arabidopsis is obvious. Thus it would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention create a composition with the Arabidopsis genes encoding those two proteins controlled by a heterologous inducible promoter. Given the level of skill in the art as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention one of ordinary skill in the art would have had a reasonable expectation of success. Claim 14 uses the open transitional phrase “comprising.” Reciting two signposts within the library is not patentable over the prior art. Therefore claim 14 is obvious. Claim 15 is also obvious because it only requires a higher degree of sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:4. In contrast, claim 16 requires both genes on the same construct molecule / backbone. Given the above, placing the two genes as independent DNA molecules in a plant cell given the subject matter is also obvious and therefore claim 19 is obvious. Applicant’s Argument Applicant traverses the rejection under 35 USC 103 on pages 6-7. Applicant cites to a Federal Circuit decision – a footnote on page 1346. The footnote is an argument between the author’s opinion and the dissent. (Response, p, 7 (citing to In re Stepan Co., 868 F.3d 1342, 1346 n. 1.). Response to Applicant’s Argument In further support of this rejection is the following analysis of Arabidopsis genetics. A search of SEQ ID NO:3 reveals it is the At3g11260 gene. (the third alignment below) It was also identified as “WUSCHEL-RELATED HOMEOBOX 5” protein. A BLAST® search reveals GenBank (2000) NP_187735. Additionally, a search of SEQ ID NO:4 reveals it is the At3g20840 gene. (fourth alignment immediately below). Again claim 14 uses open language. Thus Applicant’s claim 14 reads on a library of Arabidopsis genes. Arabidopsis is a renowned experimental plant. Merely articulating two members does not provide a patentable distinction over an obvious-to-create library. Further, one of the genes IS taught by Santuari et al. (2016) under the control of inducible promoter. Santuari et al. teaches expression Arabidopsis PLETHORA genes under the control of an inducible promoter. Santuari et al. (2016) Plant Cell, 28:2937–51 (2nd para. of “Results” section on page 2938). At3g20840 is taught as a PLETHORA gene under “Accession Numbers” on page 2949. Rashid et al. teaches expressing another Arabidopsis WUS gene under the control of an inducible promoter. (1st paragraph). (Rashid et al. (2007) Plant Cell Rep 26:1449-55, 1st paragraph. Even though Rashid et al. does not teach SEQ ID NO:3, it suggests placing it, as another WUS gene, under the control of a inducible promoter. Finally, if allowed, creating a new Arabidopsis cDNA library using an inducible promoter would infringe at least claim 14. Therefore Applicant’s argument was fully considered but is not persuasive. Alexandrov et al.’s SEQ ID NO:3523837 Listed by serail no., U.S. Patent Publication No. is 20170/037426 A1 US-11-006-231-3523837 Filing date in PALM: 2004-12-06 Sequence 3523837, US/11006231 GENERAL INFORMATION APPLICANT: ALEXANDROV, Nickolai APPLICANT: APUYA, Nestor APPLICANT: BROVER, Vyacheslav APPLICANT: CHEN, Xianfeng APPLICANT: DUMAS, Jean-Baptiste APPLICANT: FANG, Yiwen APPLICANT: FELDMANN, Kenneth APPLICANT: MASCIA, Peter APPLICANT: OKAMURO, Jack APPLICANT: PENNELL, Roger APPLICANT: SCHNEEBERGER, Richard APPLICANT: SUBRAMANIAN,Gopalakrishnan APPLICANT: TROUKHAN, Maxim APPLICANT: ZHANG, Liansheng TITLE OF INVENTION: SEQUENCE DETERMINED DNA FRAGMENTS AND CORRESPONDING POLYPEPTIDES TITLE OF INVENTION: ENCODED THEREBY FILE REFERENCE: 2750-1571PUS2 CURRENT APPLICATION NUMBER: US/11/006,231 CURRENT FILING DATE: 2004-12-06 PRIOR APPLICATION NUMBER: US 60/099,671 PRIOR FILING DATE: 1998-09-04 PRIOR APPLICATION NUMBER: US 60/099,672 PRIOR FILING DATE: 1998-09-04 PRIOR APPLICATION NUMBER: US 60/099,933 PRIOR FILING DATE: 1998-09-11 PRIOR APPLICATION NUMBER: US 60/100,864 PRIOR FILING DATE: 1998-09-17 PRIOR APPLICATION NUMBER: US 60/101,042 PRIOR FILING DATE: 1998-09-18 PRIOR APPLICATION NUMBER: US 60/101,682 PRIOR FILING DATE: 1998-09-24 PRIOR APPLICATION NUMBER: US 60/102,460 PRIOR FILING DATE: 1998-09-30 PRIOR APPLICATION NUMBER: US 60/102,533 PRIOR FILING DATE: 1998-09-30 PRIOR APPLICATION NUMBER: US 60/103,116 PRIOR FILING DATE: 1998-10-05 PRIOR APPLICATION NUMBER: US 60/103,141 PRIOR FILING DATE: 1998-10-05 Remaining Prior Application data removed - See File Wrapper or PALM. NUMBER OF SEQ ID NOS: 4140943 SEQ ID NO 3523837 LENGTH: 182 TYPE: PRT ORGANISM: Arabidopsis thaliana FEATURE: NAME/KEY: misc_feature LOCATION: (1)..(182) OTHER INFORMATION: Ceres Seq. ID no. 4812818 Query Match 100.0%; Score 969; Length 182; Best Local Similarity 100.0%; Matches 182; Conservative 0; Mismatches 0; Indels 0; Gaps 0; Qy 1 MSFSVKGRSLRGNNNGGTGTKCGRWNPTVEQLKILTDLFRAGLRTPTTDQIQKISTELSF 60 |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Db 1 MSFSVKGRSLRGNNNGGTGTKCGRWNPTVEQLKILTDLFRAGLRTPTTDQIQKISTELSF 60 Qy 61 YGKIESKNVFYWFQNHKARERQKRRKISIDFDHHHHQPSTRDVFEISEEDCQEEEKVIET 120 |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Db 61 YGKIESKNVFYWFQNHKARERQKRRKISIDFDHHHHQPSTRDVFEISEEDCQEEEKVIET 120 Qy 121 LQLFPVNSFEDSNSKVDKMRARGNNQYREYIRETTTTSFSPYSSCGAEMEHPPPLDLRLS 180 |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Db 121 LQLFPVNSFEDSNSKVDKMRARGNNQYREYIRETTTTSFSPYSSCGAEMEHPPPLDLRLS 180 Qy 181 FL 182 || Db 181 FL 182 Alexandrov et al.’s SEQ ID NO: 1392711 Listed by serail no., U.S. Patent Publication No. is 20170/037426 A1 US-11-006-231-1392711 Filing date in PALM: 2004-12-06 Sequence 1392711, US/11006231 GENERAL INFORMATION APPLICANT: ALEXANDROV, Nickolai APPLICANT: APUYA, Nestor APPLICANT: BROVER, Vyacheslav APPLICANT: CHEN, Xianfeng APPLICANT: DUMAS, Jean-Baptiste APPLICANT: FANG, Yiwen APPLICANT: FELDMANN, Kenneth APPLICANT: MASCIA, Peter APPLICANT: OKAMURO, Jack APPLICANT: PENNELL, Roger APPLICANT: SCHNEEBERGER, Richard APPLICANT: SUBRAMANIAN,Gopalakrishnan APPLICANT: TROUKHAN, Maxim APPLICANT: ZHANG, Liansheng TITLE OF INVENTION: SEQUENCE DETERMINED DNA FRAGMENTS AND CORRESPONDING POLYPEPTIDES TITLE OF INVENTION: ENCODED THEREBY FILE REFERENCE: 2750-1571PUS2 CURRENT APPLICATION NUMBER: US/11/006,231 CURRENT FILING DATE: 2004-12-06 PRIOR APPLICATION NUMBER: US 60/099,671 PRIOR FILING DATE: 1998-09-04 PRIOR APPLICATION NUMBER: US 60/099,672 PRIOR FILING DATE: 1998-09-04 PRIOR APPLICATION NUMBER: US 60/099,933 PRIOR FILING DATE: 1998-09-11 PRIOR APPLICATION NUMBER: US 60/100,864 PRIOR FILING DATE: 1998-09-17 PRIOR APPLICATION NUMBER: US 60/101,042 PRIOR FILING DATE: 1998-09-18 PRIOR APPLICATION NUMBER: US 60/101,682 PRIOR FILING DATE: 1998-09-24 PRIOR APPLICATION NUMBER: US 60/102,460 PRIOR FILING DATE: 1998-09-30 PRIOR APPLICATION NUMBER: US 60/102,533 PRIOR FILING DATE: 1998-09-30 PRIOR APPLICATION NUMBER: US 60/103,116 PRIOR FILING DATE: 1998-10-05 PRIOR APPLICATION NUMBER: US 60/103,141 PRIOR FILING DATE: 1998-10-05 Remaining Prior Application data removed - See File Wrapper or PALM. NUMBER OF SEQ ID NOS: 4140943 SEQ ID NO 1392711 LENGTH: 571 TYPE: PRT ORGANISM: Arabidopsis thaliana FEATURE: NAME/KEY: misc_feature LOCATION: (1)..(571) OTHER INFORMATION: Ceres Seq. ID no. 2163113 Query Match 99.1%; Score 3016.5; Length 571; Best Local Similarity 99.5%; Matches 571; Conservative 0; Mismatches 0; Indels 3; Gaps 1; Qy 1 MNSNNWLGFPLSPNNSSLPPHEYNLGLVSDHMDNPFQTQEWNMINPHGGGGDEGGEVPKV 60 |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Db 1 MNSNNWLGFPLSPNNSSLPPHEYNLGLVSDHMDNPFQTQEWNMINPHGGGGDEGGEVPKV 60 Qy 61 ADFLGVSKPDENQSNHLVAYNDSDYYFHTNSLMPSVQSNDVVVAACDSNTPNNSSYHELQ 120 |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Db 61 ADFLGVSKPDENQSNHLVAYNDSDYYFHTNSLMPSVQSNDVVVAACDSNTPNNSSYHELQ 120 Qy 121 ESAHNLQSLTLSMGTTAGNNVVDKASPSETTGDNASGGALAVVETATPRRALDTFGQRTS 180 |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Db 121 ESAHNLQSLTLSMGTTAGNNVVDKASPSETTGDNASGGALAVVETATPRRALDTFGQRTS 180 Qy 181 IYRGVTRHRWTGRYEAHLWDNSCRREGQSRKGRQVYLGGYDKEDKAARSYDLAALKYWGP 240 |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ||||||||||||||||||||||| Db 181 IYRGVTRHRWTGRYEAHLWDNSCRREGQSRKGRQ---GGYDKEDKAARSYDLAALKYWGP 237 Qy 241 STTTNFPITNYEKEVEEMKHMTRQEFVAAIRRKSSGFSRGASMYRGVTRHHQHGRWQARI 300 |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Db 238 STTTNFPITNYEKEVEEMKHMTRQEFVAAIRRKSSGFSRGASMYRGVTRHHQHGRWQARI 297 Qy 301 GRVAGNKDLYLGTFSTEEEAAEAYDIAAIKFRGLNAVTNFEINRYDVKAILESSTLPIGG 360 |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Db 298 GRVAGNKDLYLGTFSTEEEAAEAYDIAAIKFRGLNAVTNFEINRYDVKAILESSTLPIGG 357 Qy 361 GAAKRLKEAQALESSRKREAEMIALGSSFQYGGGSSTGSGSTSSRLQLQPYPLSIQQPLE 420 |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Db 358 GAAKRLKEAQALESSRKREAEMIALGSSFQYGGGSSTGSGSTSSRLQLQPYPLSIQQPLE 417 Qy 421 PFLSLQNNDISHYNNNNAHDSSSFNHHSYIQTQLHLHQQTNNYLQQQSSQNSQQLYNAYL 480 |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Db 418 PFLSLQNNDISHYNNNNAHDSSSFNHHSYIQTQLHLHQQTNNYLQQQSSQNSQQLYNAYL 477 Qy 481 HSNPALLHGLVSTSIVDNNNNNGGSSGSYNTAAFLGNHGIGIGSSSTVGSTEEFPTVKTD 540 |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Db 478 HSNPALLHGLVSTSIVDNNNNNGGSSGSYNTAAFLGNHGIGIGSSSTVGSTEEFPTVKTD 537 Qy 541 YDMPSSDGTGGYSGWTSESVQGSNPGGVFTMWNE 574 |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Db 538 YDMPSSDGTGGYSGWTSESVQGSNPGGVFTMWNE 571 At3g11260 / NP_187735 A0A384KT15_ARATH ID A0A384KT15_ARATH Unreviewed; 182 AA. AC A0A384KT15; A0A5S9XB94; DT 07-NOV-2018, integrated into UniProtKB/TrEMBL. DT 07-NOV-2018, sequence version 1. DT 22-FEB-2023, entry version 23. DE SubName: Full=(thale cress) hypothetical protein {ECO:0000313|EMBL:CAD5322709.1}; DE SubName: Full=WOX5B {ECO:0000313|EMBL:OAP04775.1}; GN OrderedLocusNames=AXX17_At3g11140 {ECO:0000313|EMBL:OAP04775.1}; GN ORFNames=AN1_LOCUS12445 {ECO:0000313|EMBL:VYS56994.1}, GN AT9943_LOCUS10702 {ECO:0000313|EMBL:CAD5322709.1}, C24_LOCUS12274 GN {ECO:0000313|EMBL:CAA0382040.1}; OS Arabidopsis thaliana (Mouse-ear cress). OC Eukaryota; Viridiplantae; Streptophyta; Embryophyta; Tracheophyta; OC Spermatophyta; Magnoliopsida; eudicotyledons; Gunneridae; Pentapetalae; OC rosids; malvids; Brassicales; Brassicaceae; Camelineae; Arabidopsis. OX NCBI_TaxID=3702 {ECO:0000313|EMBL:OAP04775.1, ECO:0000313|Proteomes:UP000078284}; RN [1] {ECO:0000313|Proteomes:UP000078284} RP NUCLEOTIDE SEQUENCE [LARGE SCALE GENOMIC DNA]. RC STRAIN=cv. Landsberg erecta {ECO:0000313|Proteomes:UP000078284}; RX PubMed=27354520; DOI=10.1073/pnas.1607532113; RA Zapata L., Ding J., Willing E.M., Hartwig B., Bezdan D., Jiao W.B., RA Patel V., Velikkakam James G., Koornneef M., Ossowski S., Schneeberger K.; RT "Chromosome-level assembly of Arabidopsis thaliana Ler reveals the extent RT of translocation and inversion polymorphisms."; RL Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 113:E4052-E4060(2016). RN [2] {ECO:0000313|EMBL:OAP04775.1} RP NUCLEOTIDE SEQUENCE [LARGE SCALE GENOMIC DNA]. RC TISSUE=Leaf {ECO:0000313|EMBL:OAP04775.1}; RA Zapata L., Schneeberger K., Ossowski S.; RT "Full-length assembly of Arabidopsis thaliana Ler reveals the complement of RT translocations and inversions."; RL Submitted (MAR-2016) to the EMBL/GenBank/DDBJ databases. RN [3] {ECO:0000313|EMBL:CAA0382040.1, ECO:0000313|Proteomes:UP000434276} RP NUCLEOTIDE SEQUENCE [LARGE SCALE GENOMIC DNA]. RC STRAIN=cv. An-1 {ECO:0000313|Proteomes:UP000426265}, and cv. C24 RC {ECO:0000313|Proteomes:UP000434276}; RA Jiao W.-B., Schneeberger K.; RL Submitted (DEC-2019) to the EMBL/GenBank/DDBJ databases. RN [4] {ECO:0000313|EMBL:CAD5322709.1, ECO:0000313|Proteomes:UP000516314} RP NUCLEOTIDE SEQUENCE [LARGE SCALE GENOMIC DNA]. RC STRAIN=cv. Cdm-0 {ECO:0000313|Proteomes:UP000516314}; RA Ashkenazy H.; RL Submitted (SEP-2020) to the EMBL/GenBank/DDBJ databases. CC -!- SUBCELLULAR LOCATION: Nucleus {ECO:0000256|ARBA:ARBA00004123, CC ECO:0000256|PROSITE-ProRule:PRU00108, ECO:0000256|RuleBase:RU000682}. CC -!- SIMILARITY: Belongs to the WUS homeobox family. CC {ECO:0000256|ARBA:ARBA00024040}. CC --------------------------------------------------------------------------- CC Copyrighted by the UniProt Consortium, see https://www.uniprot.org/terms CC Distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) License CC --------------------------------------------------------------------------- DR EMBL; CACSHJ010000089; CAA0382040.1; -; Genomic_DNA. DR EMBL; LR881468; CAD5322709.1; -; Genomic_DNA. DR EMBL; LUHQ01000003; OAP04775.1; -; Genomic_DNA. DR EMBL; CACRSJ010000106; VYS56994.1; -; Genomic_DNA. DR RefSeq; NP_187735.2; NM_111961.4. DR AlphaFoldDB; A0A384KT15; -. DR SMR; A0A384KT15; -. DR EnsemblPlants; AT3G11260.1; AT3G11260.1; AT3G11260. DR GeneID; 820297; -. DR Gramene; AT3G11260.1; AT3G11260.1; AT3G11260. DR KEGG; ath:AT3G11260; -. DR OMA; FSPYSSC; -. DR OrthoDB; 411854at2759; -. DR Proteomes; UP000078284; Chromosome 3. DR Proteomes; UP000426265; Unassembled WGS sequence. DR Proteomes; UP000434276; Unassembled WGS sequence. DR Proteomes; UP000516314; Chromosome 3. DR GO; GO:0005634; C:nucleus; IEA:UniProtKB-SubCell. DR GO; GO:0003677; F:DNA binding; IEA:UniProtKB-UniRule. DR GO; GO:0003700; F:DNA-binding transcription factor activity; IEA:InterPro. DR GO; GO:0099402; P:plant organ development; IEA:InterPro. DR CDD; cd00086; homeodomain; 1. DR Gene3D; 1.10.10.60; Homeodomain-like; 1. DR InterPro; IPR009057; Homeobox-like_sf. DR InterPro; IPR001356; Homeobox_dom. DR InterPro; IPR044555; WUSCHEL-like. DR PANTHER; PTHR45940; WUSCHEL-RELATED HOMEOBOX 1-RELATED; 1. DR PANTHER; PTHR45940:SF41; WUSCHEL-RELATED HOMEOBOX 5; 1. DR Pfam; PF00046; Homeodomain; 1. DR SMART; SM00389; HOX; 1. DR SUPFAM; SSF46689; Homeodomain-like; 1. DR PROSITE; PS50071; HOMEOBOX_2; 1. PE 3: Inferred from homology; KW DNA-binding {ECO:0000256|PROSITE-ProRule:PRU00108, KW ECO:0000256|RuleBase:RU000682}; KW Homeobox {ECO:0000256|ARBA:ARBA00023155, ECO:0000256|PROSITE- KW ProRule:PRU00108}; KW Nucleus {ECO:0000256|PROSITE-ProRule:PRU00108, KW ECO:0000256|RuleBase:RU000682}. FT DOMAIN 18..83 FT /note="Homeobox" FT /evidence="ECO:0000259|PROSITE:PS50071" FT DNA_BIND 20..84 FT /note="Homeobox" FT /evidence="ECO:0000256|PROSITE-ProRule:PRU00108" FT REGION 1..24 FT /note="Disordered" FT /evidence="ECO:0000256|SAM:MobiDB-lite" SQ SEQUENCE 182 AA; 21226 MW; 70502169709BB91D CRC64; Query Match 100.0%; Score 969; Length 182; Best Local Similarity 100.0%; Matches 182; Conservative 0; Mismatches 0; Indels 0; Gaps 0; Qy 1 MSFSVKGRSLRGNNNGGTGTKCGRWNPTVEQLKILTDLFRAGLRTPTTDQIQKISTELSF 60 |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Db 1 MSFSVKGRSLRGNNNGGTGTKCGRWNPTVEQLKILTDLFRAGLRTPTTDQIQKISTELSF 60 Qy 61 YGKIESKNVFYWFQNHKARERQKRRKISIDFDHHHHQPSTRDVFEISEEDCQEEEKVIET 120 |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Db 61 YGKIESKNVFYWFQNHKARERQKRRKISIDFDHHHHQPSTRDVFEISEEDCQEEEKVIET 120 Qy 121 LQLFPVNSFEDSNSKVDKMRARGNNQYREYIRETTTTSFSPYSSCGAEMEHPPPLDLRLS 180 |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Db 121 LQLFPVNSFEDSNSKVDKMRARGNNQYREYIRETTTTSFSPYSSCGAEMEHPPPLDLRLS 180 Qy 181 FL 182 || Db 181 FL 182 At3g20840 / NP_187735 PLET1_ARATH ID PLET1_ARATH Reviewed; 574 AA. AC Q5YGP8; Q6PQQ6; Q9LT37; DT 21-AUG-2007, integrated into UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot. DT 23-NOV-2004, sequence version 1. DT 22-FEB-2023, entry version 116. DE RecName: Full=AP2-like ethylene-responsive transcription factor PLT1 {ECO:0000303|PubMed:15454085}; DE AltName: Full=Protein AINTEGUMENTA-LIKE 3 {ECO:0000303|PubMed:15988559}; DE AltName: Full=Protein PLETHORA 1 {ECO:0000303|PubMed:15454085}; GN Name=PLT1 {ECO:0000303|PubMed:15454085}; GN Synonyms=AIL3 {ECO:0000303|PubMed:15988559}; GN OrderedLocusNames=At3g20840 {ECO:0000312|Araport:AT3G20840}; GN ORFNames=MOE17.15 {ECO:0000312|EMBL:BAB02492.1}; OS Arabidopsis thaliana (Mouse-ear cress). OC Eukaryota; Viridiplantae; Streptophyta; Embryophyta; Tracheophyta; OC Spermatophyta; Magnoliopsida; eudicotyledons; Gunneridae; Pentapetalae; OC rosids; malvids; Brassicales; Brassicaceae; Camelineae; Arabidopsis. OX NCBI_TaxID=3702; RN [1] RP NUCLEOTIDE SEQUENCE [MRNA], FUNCTION, TISSUE SPECIFICITY, DEVELOPMENTAL RP STAGE, AND INDUCTION. RC STRAIN=cv. Columbia; RX PubMed=15454085; DOI=10.1016/j.cell.2004.09.018; RA Aida M., Beis D., Heidstra R., Willemsen V., Blilou I., Galinha C., RA Nussaume L., Noh Y.-S., Amasino R., Scheres B.; RT "The PLETHORA genes mediate patterning of the Arabidopsis root stem cell RT niche."; RL Cell 119:109-120(2004). RN [2] RP NUCLEOTIDE SEQUENCE [LARGE SCALE GENOMIC DNA]. RC STRAIN=cv. Columbia; RX PubMed=10819329; DOI=10.1093/dnares/7.2.131; RA Sato S., Nakamura Y., Kaneko T., Katoh T., Asamizu E., Tabata S.; RT "Structural analysis of Arabidopsis thaliana chromosome 3. I. Sequence RT features of the regions of 4,504,864 bp covered by sixty P1 and TAC RT clones."; RL DNA Res. 7:131-135(2000). RN [3] RP GENOME REANNOTATION. RC STRAIN=cv. Columbia; RX PubMed=27862469; DOI=10.1111/tpj.13415; RA Cheng C.Y., Krishnakumar V., Chan A.P., Thibaud-Nissen F., Schobel S., RA Town C.D.; RT "Araport11: a complete reannotation of the Arabidopsis thaliana reference RT genome."; RL Plant J. 89:789-804(2017). RN [4] RP NUCLEOTIDE SEQUENCE [MRNA] OF 43-574. RA Pan Y., Gong W., Liu D., Fu Q., Mei W.-Q., Song W.-Q., Ma L.-G., Luo J.-C., RA Deng X.-W., Zhu Y.-X.; RT "Molecular cloning, expression, phylogenetic and functional RT characterization of the Arabidopsis AP2/EREBP transcription factor RT family."; RL Submitted (MAR-2004) to the EMBL/GenBank/DDBJ databases. RN [5] RP FUNCTION, AND TISSUE SPECIFICITY. RX PubMed=15635403; DOI=10.1038/nature03184; RA Blilou I., Xu J., Wildwater M., Willemsen V., Paponov I., Friml J., RA Heidstra R., Aida M., Palme K., Scheres B.; RT "The PIN auxin efflux facilitator network controls growth and patterning in RT Arabidopsis roots."; RL Nature 433:39-44(2005). RN [6] RP TISSUE SPECIFICITY. RX PubMed=15988559; DOI=10.1007/s11103-005-0955-6; RA Nole-Wilson S., Tranby T.L., Krizek B.A.; RT "AINTEGUMENTA-like (AIL) genes are expressed in young tissues and may RT specify meristematic or division-competent states."; RL Plant Mol. Biol. 57:613-628(2005). RN [7] RP GENE FAMILY, AND NOMENCLATURE. RX PubMed=16407444; DOI=10.1104/pp.105.073783; RA Nakano T., Suzuki K., Fujimura T., Shinshi H.; RT "Genome-wide analysis of the ERF gene family in Arabidopsis and rice."; RL Plant Physiol. 140:411-432(2006). RN [8] RP FUNCTION, AND TISSUE SPECIFICITY. RX PubMed=16424342; DOI=10.1126/science.1121790; RA Xu J., Hofhuis H., Heidstra R., Sauer M., Friml J., Scheres B.; RT "A molecular framework for plant regeneration."; RL Science 311:385-388(2006). RN [9] RP FUNCTION, TISSUE SPECIFICITY, AND DEVELOPMENTAL STAGE. RX PubMed=20190735; DOI=10.1038/nature08843; RA Smith Z.R., Long J.A.; RT "Control of Arabidopsis apical-basal embryo polarity by antagonistic RT transcription factors."; RL Nature 464:423-426(2010). RN [10] RP REGULATION BY RGF. RX PubMed=20798316; DOI=10.1126/science.1191132; RA Matsuzaki Y., Ogawa-Ohnishi M., Mori A., Matsubayashi Y.; RT "Secreted peptide signals required for maintenance of root stem cell niche RT in Arabidopsis."; RL Science 329:1065-1067(2010). CC -!- FUNCTION: Probably acts as a transcriptional activator. Binds to the CC GCC-box pathogenesis-related promoter element. May be involved in the CC regulation of gene expression by stress factors and by components of CC stress signal transduction pathways (By similarity). Master regulator CC of basal/root fate. Essential for root quiescent center (QC) and CC columella specification, stem cell activity, as well as for CC establishment of the stem cell niche during embryogenesis. Modulates CC the root polar auxin transport by regulating the distribution of PIN CC genes. Essential role in respecifying pattern and polarity in damaged CC roots. Direct target of the transcriptional corepressor TPL. Expression CC levels and patterns regulated post-transcriptionally by root meristem CC growth factors (RGFs). {ECO:0000250|UniProtKB:Q9LND1, CC ECO:0000269|PubMed:15454085, ECO:0000269|PubMed:15635403, CC ECO:0000269|PubMed:16424342, ECO:0000269|PubMed:20190735}. CC -!- SUBCELLULAR LOCATION: Nucleus {ECO:0000305}. CC -!- TISSUE SPECIFICITY: Expressed in roots, seedlings, flowers, and CC siliques. Also detected at low levels in leaves. In roots, specifically CC detected in the distal root meristem, including the QC. This tissue CC specificity is regulated by auxin gradient and depends on PIN proteins. CC {ECO:0000269|PubMed:15454085, ECO:0000269|PubMed:15635403, CC ECO:0000269|PubMed:15988559, ECO:0000269|PubMed:16424342, CC ECO:0000269|PubMed:20190735}. CC -!- DEVELOPMENTAL STAGE: Accumulates in the basal embryo region that gives CC rise to hypocotyl, root, and root stem cells. Expressed in the root CC meristem throughout embryo development. {ECO:0000269|PubMed:15454085, CC ECO:0000269|PubMed:20190735}. CC -!- INDUCTION: By auxin accumulation. {ECO:0000269|PubMed:15454085}. CC -!- PTM: Stabilized in root meristems by reactive oxygen species (ROS) CC mediated oxidative post-translational modification triggered by RGF1 CC hormone peptide in a RITF1-dependent manner. CC {ECO:0000250|UniProtKB:Q5YGP7}. CC -!- SIMILARITY: Belongs to the AP2/ERF transcription factor family. AP2 CC subfamily. {ECO:0000305}. CC -!- SEQUENCE CAUTION: CC Sequence=BAB02492.1; Type=Erroneous gene model prediction; Evidence={ECO:0000305}; CC --------------------------------------------------------------------------- CC Copyrighted by the UniProt Consortium, see https://www.uniprot.org/terms CC Distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) License CC --------------------------------------------------------------------------- DR EMBL; AY506549; AAS86335.1; -; mRNA. DR EMBL; AB025629; BAB02492.1; ALT_SEQ; Genomic_DNA. DR EMBL; CP002686; AEE76430.1; -; Genomic_DNA. DR EMBL; AY585682; AAS97939.1; -; mRNA. DR RefSeq; NP_188720.2; NM_112975.3. DR AlphaFoldDB; Q5YGP8; -. DR SMR; Q5YGP8; -. DR STRING; 3702.AT3G20840.1; -. DR PaxDb; Q5YGP8; -. DR ProteomicsDB; 234769; -. DR EnsemblPlants; AT3G20840.1; AT3G20840.1; AT3G20840. DR GeneID; 821632; -. DR Gramene; AT3G20840.1; AT3G20840.1; AT3G20840. DR KEGG; ath:AT3G20840; -. DR Araport; AT3G20840; -. DR TAIR; locus:2091891; AT3G20840. DR eggNOG; ENOG502QSTN; Eukaryota. DR HOGENOM; CLU_013549_5_0_1; -. DR InParanoid; Q5YGP8; -. DR OMA; KTDYDMP; -. DR OrthoDB; 397053at2759; -. DR PhylomeDB; Q5YGP8; -. DR PRO; PR:Q5YGP8; -. DR Proteomes; UP000006548; Chromosome 3. DR ExpressionAtlas; Q5YGP8; baseline and differential. DR Genevisible; Q5YGP8; AT. DR GO; GO:0005634; C:nucleus; IDA:TAIR. DR GO; GO:0003700; F:DNA-binding transcription factor activity; ISS:TAIR. DR GO; GO:0000976; F:transcription cis-regulatory region binding; IPI:TAIR. DR GO; GO:0009734; P:auxin-activated signaling pathway; IEA:UniProtKB-KW. DR GO; GO:0009873; P:ethylene-activated signaling pathway; IEA:UniProtKB-KW. DR GO; GO:0007389; P:pattern specification process; IMP:TAIR. DR GO; GO:0048364; P:root development; IMP:TAIR. DR GO; GO:0010449; P:root meristem growth; IGI:TAIR. DR GO; GO:0019827; P:stem cell population maintenance; IMP:TAIR. DR GO; GO:0000723; P:telomere maintenance; IDA:TAIR. DR CDD; cd00018; AP2; 2. DR Gene3D; 3.30.730.10; AP2/ERF domain; 2. DR InterPro; IPR001471; AP2/ERF_dom. DR InterPro; IPR036955; AP2/ERF_dom_sf. DR InterPro; IPR016177; DNA-bd_dom_sf. DR PANTHER; PTHR32467; AP2-LIKE ETHYLENE-RESPONSIVE TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR; 1. DR PANTHER; PTHR32467:SF102; AP2-LIKE ETHYLENE-RESPONSIVE TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR PLT1; 1. DR Pfam; PF00847; AP2; 2. DR PRINTS; PR00367; ETHRSPELEMNT. DR SMART; SM00380; AP2; 2. DR SUPFAM; SSF54171; DNA-binding domain; 2. DR PROSITE; PS51032; AP2_ERF; 2. PE 2: Evidence at transcript level; KW Activator; Auxin signaling pathway; Developmental protein; DNA-binding; KW Ethylene signaling pathway; Nucleus; Reference proteome; Repeat; KW Stress response; Transcription; Transcription regulation. FT CHAIN 1..574 FT /note="AP2-like ethylene-responsive transcription factor FT PLT1" FT /id="PRO_0000297930" FT DNA_BIND 181..247 FT /note="AP2/ERF 1" FT /evidence="ECO:0000255|PROSITE-ProRule:PRU00366" FT DNA_BIND 283..341 FT /note="AP2/ERF 2" FT /evidence="ECO:0000255|PROSITE-ProRule:PRU00366" FT REGION 536..566 FT /note="Disordered" FT /evidence="ECO:0000256|SAM:MobiDB-lite" FT COMPBIAS 549..566 FT /note="Polar residues" FT /evidence="ECO:0000256|SAM:MobiDB-lite" FT CONFLICT 347 FT /note="V -> L (in Ref. 4; AAS97939)" FT /evidence="ECO:0000305" SQ SEQUENCE 574 AA; 62875 MW; 3904AF3BD26B7E1C CRC64; Conclusion Claims 14, 15 and 19 are rejected. All other pending claims are allowed. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RUSSELL T BOGGS whose telephone number is (571)272-2805. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 0800 to 1830 Mtn. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Amjad Abraham can be reached at 571-270-0708. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /RUSSELL T BOGGS/ Examiner, Art Unit 1663
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Prosecution Timeline

Show 7 earlier events
Sep 26, 2024
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103
Dec 17, 2024
Response Filed
Apr 09, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103
Jul 07, 2025
Response Filed
Oct 07, 2025
Final Rejection mailed — §103
Jan 06, 2026
Request for Continued Examination
Jan 07, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Jul 29, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103 (current)

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Prosecution Projections

6-7
Expected OA Rounds
73%
Grant Probability
88%
With Interview (+15.4%)
2y 10m (~0m remaining)
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