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 .
Restriction/Election
In response to the communication received on August 11, 2026, from Alparslan Asan, the election with traverse of Group II, claims 4-7 and 11-12, is acknowledged.
The traversal is on the basis that “[t]he cited art does not negate the common GmZFP7-isoflavone special technical feature” (Remarks, pages 6-7). Applicants argue that “[t]he asserted group distinctions do not correspond to unique special technical features” (Id., pages 7-8). Applicants further argue that “[c]laims 1-12 are all method claims organized around the same technical relationship: using GmZFP7, including by changing its level or expression, regulates isoflavone content” (Id., pages 8-9).
Applicants’ arguments have been carefully considered but they are not persuasive.
Shown below is a copy Applicants’ abstract of the invention/application:
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188
660
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Shown below is a copy Applicants’ description of the technical Field of the invention/application:
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106
660
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Accordingly, as admitted by Applicants’ disclosure, and in contrast to their arguments, the technical feature common to Groups I-III appears to be “a use of a soybean C2H2 type zinc finger protein transcription factor GmZFP7 with the amino acid sequence as shown in SEQ ID NO. 2, or a gene GmZFP7 with a gene accession number of Gene ID: 100792169 in regulating isoflavones”.
Briefly, and as stated on pages 3-5 in the Office action dated 07/02/2026, WU (Wu et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0152521 A9, a continuation of application No. 12/864690, filed on July 27, 2010, titled “Isolated novel nucleic acid and protein molecules from soy and methods of using those molecules to generate transgenic plants with enhanced agronomic traits”) also teaches “nucleic acid and protein molecules from soy and methods of using those molecules to generate transgenic plants with enhanced agronomic traits” (entire document; see Title, Abstract, for example).
WU teaches and claims recombinant DNA constructs having polynucleotides characterized by reference to SEQ ID NO:1-116778 and the corresponding cognate proteins with amino acid sequences having reference to SEQ ID NO:116779-233556 [0004; claim 3 of WU, for example).
One of the polypeptide sequences taught and claimed by WU is SEQ ID NO: 220080, which shares 100% identity with the soybean C2H2 type zinc finger protein transcription factor of instant SEQ ID NO: 2 (i.e., GmZFP7). See alignment below.
ALIGNMENT OF INSTANT SEQ ID NO:2 WITH SEQ ID NO: 220080 FROM WU
ALIGNMENT:
Query Match 100.0%; Score 1276; Length 276;
Best Local Similarity 100.0%;
Matches 238; Conservative 0; Mismatches 0; Indels 0; Gaps 0;
Qy 1 MMTPNLNLEPEDDFKVLIQVGSDKSIRETSHDLTKADPDPGPVSLDLSLNFNPGDEELKV 60
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 39 MMTPNLNLEPEDDFKVLIQVGSDKSIRETSHDLTKADPDPGPVSLDLSLNFNPGDEELKV 98
Qy 61 TSDTNCEVGPETHASASAIPRVFSCNYCWRKFFSSQALGGHQNAHKRERTMAKHAMRMGM 120
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 99 TSDTNCEVGPETHASASAIPRVFSCNYCWRKFFSSQALGGHQNAHKRERTMAKHAMRMGM 158
Qy 121 FAERYTSLASLPLHGSSFQSLGLEAHAAMHQGHVHHHSMRAPDIRAAAKFGKDYFRMPIF 180
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 159 FAERYTSLASLPLHGSSFQSLGLEAHAAMHQGHVHHHSMRAPDIRAAAKFGKDYFRMPIF 218
Qy 181 LEDDDVGLFWPGSFRQTDERGGVNLGHGEHAHNSNTCFVVATAPPAQTSASPDLTLRL 238
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 219 LEDDDVGLFWPGSFRQTDERGGVNLGHGEHAHNSNTCFVVATAPPAQTSASPDLTLRL 276
US-14-685-063A-220080
Filing date in PALM: 2015-04-13
Sequence 220080, US/14685063A
Publication No. US20170152521A9
GENERAL INFORMATION
APPLICANT: Kovalic, David
APPLICANT: Wu, Wei et al
TITLE OF INVENTION: ISOLATED NOVEL NUCLEIC ACID AND PROTEINS MOLECULES FROM SOY AND
TITLE OF INVENTION: METHODS OF USING THOSE MOLECULES TO GENERATE TRASGENIC PLANTS WITH
TITLE OF INVENTION: ENHANCED AGRONOMIC TRAITS
FILE REFERENCE: 38-21-(55306)B-PCT
CURRENT APPLICATION NUMBER: US/14/685,063A
CURRENT FILING DATE: 2015-04-13
NUMBER OF SEQ ID NOS: 233556
SEQ ID NO 220080
LENGTH: 276
TYPE: PRT
ORGANISM: Glycine max
FEATURE:
OTHER INFORMATION: Coding DNA Sequence Number=SeqID_103302
FEATURE:
OTHER INFORMATION: Gene Ontology: Mol. function=nucleic acid binding; Cellular component=
intracellular; Biological process=chromatin modification
FEATURE:
OTHER INFORMATION: Homolog annotation: Hit_ID=Q39263; Match level="QueryCoverage=74\%,
HitCoverage=90\%, E-value=1e-28, Identity=38\%"; Hit description=Zinc
finger protein 4
FEATURE:
OTHER INFORMATION: Pfam annotation: Domain name=zf-C2H2; Domain location=121-143; Score
=18.4; E_value=0.026; Accession=PF00096.16; Description=Zinc finger,
C2H2 type
WU further provides the following annotation for SEQ ID NO:220080:
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media_image3.png
466
638
media_image3.png
Greyscale
Thus, WU specifically identifies the polypeptide of SEQ ID NO:220080 as being a zinc-finger, C2H2 type (zf-C2H2). The corresponding coding DNA sequence is SEQ ID NO:103302. Accordingly, WU also teaches the polynucleotide of SEQ ID NO: 103302 as a polynucleotide sequence that is 100% identical to instant SEQ ID NO:1 (i.e., GmZFP7). See alignment below.
ALIGNMENT OF INSTANT SEQ ID NO:1 WITH SEQ ID NO: 103302 FROM WU
SEQ ID NO 103302
LENGTH: 831
TYPE: DNA
ORGANISM: Glycine max
FEATURE:
OTHER INFORMATION: Peptide Sequence Number=SeqID_220080
Query Match 100.0%; Score 717; Length 831;
Best Local Similarity 100.0%;
Matches 717; Conservative 0; Mismatches 0; Indels 0; Gaps 0;
Qy 1 ATGATGACTCCAAACTTGAATCTGGAACCAGAAGATGATTTTAAAGTCCTCATCCAAGTA 60
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 115 ATGATGACTCCAAACTTGAATCTGGAACCAGAAGATGATTTTAAAGTCCTCATCCAAGTA 174
Qy 61 GGTTCTGATAAGTCGATACGAGAGACATCACATGATCTTACCAAGGCCGATCCTGACCCA 120
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 175 GGTTCTGATAAGTCGATACGAGAGACATCACATGATCTTACCAAGGCCGATCCTGACCCA 234
Qy 121 GGTCCTGTTTCCCTGGACTTGTCCCTCAACTTCAATCCCGGTGATGAAGAGTTGAAAGTT 180
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 235 GGTCCTGTTTCCCTGGACTTGTCCCTCAACTTCAATCCCGGTGATGAAGAGTTGAAAGTT 294
Qy 181 ACAAGTGACACTAACTGTGAAGTAGGACCTGAAACTCATGCCTCAGCATCAGCAATTCCT 240
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 295 ACAAGTGACACTAACTGTGAAGTAGGACCTGAAACTCATGCCTCAGCATCAGCAATTCCT 354
Qy 241 AGAGTTTTCTCTTGTAATTATTGCTGGCGGAAATTCTTTAGCTCACAGGCATTAGGTGGA 300
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 355 AGAGTTTTCTCTTGTAATTATTGCTGGCGGAAATTCTTTAGCTCACAGGCATTAGGTGGA 414
Qy 301 CACCAGAATGCTCACAAAAGGGAGAGGACAATGGCGAAGCACGCAATGCGAATGGGGATG 360
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 415 CACCAGAATGCTCACAAAAGGGAGAGGACAATGGCGAAGCACGCAATGCGAATGGGGATG 474
Qy 361 TTCGCTGAAAGGTACACAAGCCTAGCATCTCTGCCTCTTCATGGTTCCTCTTTTCAGTCG 420
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 475 TTCGCTGAAAGGTACACAAGCCTAGCATCTCTGCCTCTTCATGGTTCCTCTTTTCAGTCG 534
Qy 421 CTCGGACTTGAAGCTCATGCTGCAATGCACCAAGGACATGTGCATCATCATTCAATGAGG 480
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 535 CTCGGACTTGAAGCTCATGCTGCAATGCACCAAGGACATGTGCATCATCATTCAATGAGG 594
Qy 481 GCTCCTGATATAAGAGCTGCAGCAAAATTCGGTAAAGACTATTTTCGGATGCCGATCTTC 540
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 595 GCTCCTGATATAAGAGCTGCAGCAAAATTCGGTAAAGACTATTTTCGGATGCCGATCTTC 654
Qy 541 TTGGAAGATGATGATGTCGGTCTATTTTGGCCTGGAAGTTTCAGACAGACTGATGAAAGG 600
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 655 TTGGAAGATGATGATGTCGGTCTATTTTGGCCTGGAAGTTTCAGACAGACTGATGAAAGG 714
Qy 601 GGTGGTGTTAATTTGGGGCATGGTGAGCATGCTCATAATTCAAATACTTGTTTTGTAGTA 660
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 715 GGTGGTGTTAATTTGGGGCATGGTGAGCATGCTCATAATTCAAATACTTGTTTTGTAGTA 774
Qy 661 GCAACTGCACCTCCAGCACAAACATCTGCATCTCCTGATCTCACTCTGAGGCTTTAA 717
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 775 GCAACTGCACCTCCAGCACAAACATCTGCATCTCCTGATCTCACTCTGAGGCTTTAA 831
US-14-685-063A-103302
Filing date in PALM: 2015-04-13
Sequence 103302, US/14685063A
Publication No. US20150307890A1
GENERAL INFORMATION
APPLICANT: Kovalic, David
APPLICANT: Wu, Wei et al
TITLE OF INVENTION: ISOLATED NOVEL NUCLEIC ACID AND PROTEINS MOLECULES FROM SOY AND
TITLE OF INVENTION: METHODS OF USING THOSE MOLECULES TO GENERATE TRASGENIC PLANTS WITH
TITLE OF INVENTION: ENHANCED AGRONOMIC TRAITS
FILE REFERENCE: 38-21-(55306)B-PCT
CURRENT APPLICATION NUMBER: US/14/685,063A
CURRENT FILING DATE: 2015-04-13
NUMBER OF SEQ ID NOS: 233556
SEQ ID NO 103302
LENGTH: 831
TYPE: DNA
ORGANISM: Glycine max
FEATURE:
OTHER INFORMATION: Peptide Sequence Number=SeqID_220080
WU teaches transgenic plants, seeds, and plant cells containing DNA for expression of the proteins that are useful for imparting enhanced agronomic trait(s) to transgenic crop plants, methods of making such plants and methods of making agricultural commodity including seeds and hybrid seeds from such plants (Abstract), and teaches transformation methods and materials for making transgenic plants of the invention [0062], wherein “enhanced traits” means a characteristic of a transgenic plant that includes an enhanced agronomic trait characterized by enhanced plant morphology, physiology, growth and development, yield, nutritional enhancement, disease or pest resistance, or environmental or chemical tolerance” [0022].
WU teaches recombinant DNA constructs that are characterized as being constructed with sense-oriented and/or anti-sense-oriented polynucleotides from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 1-116778 which, when expressed in a plant cell, provide for the suppression of cognate proteins having amino acid sequences that have at least 95% identity over at least 95% of the length of a reference sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 116779-233556 [0004; 0045-0058].
WU also teaches (transformation) methods for manufacturing non-natural, transgenic seed that can be used to produce a crop of transgenic plants with an enhanced trait resulting from expression of a stably-integrated recombinant DNA construct. The methods may comprise: (a) screening a population of plants for an enhanced trait and a recombinant DNA construct, where individual plants in the population can exhibit the trait at a level less than, essentially the same as or greater than the level that the trait is exhibited in control plants, (b) selecting from the population one or more plants that exhibit the trait at a level greater than the level that said trait is exhibited in control plants, (c) collecting seed from a selected plant, (d) verifying that the recombinant DNA is stably integrated in said selected plants, (e) analyzing tissue of a selected plant to determine the production or suppression of a protein having the function of a protein encoded by nucleotides in at least one sequence selected from SEQ ID NOs:1-116778. The methods can be used for the manufacturing of transgenic soybean [0008, 0011; 0059-0068].
WU further teaches selection methods for transgenic plants with enhanced agronomic traits [0069-0076].
In the art, SAJID (Sajid M, et al., 2021, Recent Advances in Heterologous Synthesis Paving Way for Future Green-Modular Bioindustries: A Review with Special Reference to Isoflavonoids, Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol., doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.673270. PMID: 34277582; PMCID: PMC8282456) is a review article which teaches that isoflavones are well-known plant secondary metabolites. Isoflavones play a role in plant defense, and can confer the host plant a competitive advantage to survive and flourish under environmental challenges (i.e., disease or pest resistance, or environmental or chemical tolerance) and when consumed by humans have an antioxidant and anti-oncologic activities (i.e., nutritional enhancement) (entire document; see Abstract, for example).
SAJID teaches that isoflavonoids have played a distinctive role in the history of disease prevalence across continents. It is believed that the difference in the prevalence of cancer across continents is linked with the preference for soy foods. Soybean products are rich in organic chemicals that are structurally similar to 17β-estradiol, a human sex hormone. Due to this structural similarity, isoflavonoids play an important role in cellular signaling pathways and control multiple functions in humans and are commonly known as phytoestrogens. Together with this, isoflavonoids are commonly used in cosmetics, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, food, and beverage industry; however, the pharmaceutical sector holds the largest share in the market due to potential applications of isoflavonoids in chronic and cardiovascular diseases (page 2, left col., third paragraph). See Table 1 for the large concentration of flavonoids in soybean.
SAJID teaches that a detailed overview of flavonoid biosynthesis has been recently published (page 7, left col., first paragraph). See also Figure 4 for a depiction of the biosynthesis of basic isoflavonoids.
SAJID teaches the regulation of isoflavonoids biosynthesis in plants (entire section spanning pages 8-10), with particular emphasis on the identification of some transcription factors (TFs) involved in isoflavonoid biosynthesis (page 9, right col., first paragraph). SAJID highlights the positive role of certain transcription factors in isoflavonoid biosynthesis in soybean, and teaches that the soybean genome has 4,343 predicted TF encoding genes, which are roughly equal to 6.5%, of the total number of genes in the plant. “Therefore, it seems that more TF involved in isoflavonoid biosynthesis and regulation will be identified and characterized in the future” (page 9, right col., first full paragraph). SAJID further teaches the identification of target genes predicted to be involved in isoflavonoid biosynthesis have been identified, and teaches expression correlation analysis, both positive and negative (Id., second paragraph).
Furthermore, various references cited in the SAJID review article describe the roles of a plurality of transcription factors in the up- and down- regulation of isoflavone biosynthesis (e.g., Chu et al., 2017; Gou et al., 2011; Höll et al., 2013; Yan et al., 2015; Yi et al., 2010; references not provided herein). Accordingly, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art to use WU’s described soybean zinc-finger, C2H2 type transcription factor of SEQ ID NO:220080 (encoded by SEQ ID NO: 103302), and to express it transgenic plants; and this would result in regulating isoflavones.
Thus, Groups I-III lack unity of invention because even though the inventions of these groups require “use of a soybean C2H2 type zinc finger protein transcription factor GmZFP7 with an amino acid sequence as shown in SEQ ID NO. 2, or a gene GmZFP7 having gene accession number is Gene ID: 100792169 in regulating isoflavones”, this technical feature is not a special technical feature as it does not make a contribution over the prior art teachings of WU in view of SAJID.
In addition, each group of inventions also involves technical features not required by the other groups. Group I, for example, requires increasing or decreasing a level of the soybean C2H2 type zinc finger protein transcription factor GmZFP7 in a plant body while Groups II and III do not. Groups I and II require the plant to be selected from a group while Group III does not. Group II requires the gene GmZFP7 to regulate the isoflavones by activating an expression of a gene GmIFS2 encoding isoflavone synthase 2, and/or inhibiting an expression of a gene GmF3JHJ encoding flavanone-3-hydroxylase 1 while Groups I and III do not. Group III requires introducing a recombinant overexpression vector PTF101-GrnZFP7-GFP or pGGP-GrnZFP7 into a first plant while Groups I and II do not.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Priority
This application is a 371 national phase of PCT International Patent Application No. PCT/CN2023/094563, which designated the United States, and was filed on May 16, 2023, published in Chinese, which claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. CN202211003501.6, filed August 19, 2022. However, the present application does not yet satisfy the formal requirements to establish entitlement to the benefit of the earlier foreign filing date(s). Specifically, the following items are required under 37 C.F.R. § 1.55 and MPEP § 214:
Certified Copy English Translation of Foreign Application; and Certified Copy English Translation of PCT International Patent Application: A certified copy of the foreign application and of the PCT International Patent Application (specification and drawings) upon which the priority claim is based must be submitted. If the foreign application (and the PCT International Patent Application) is not in the English language, a verified English translation must also be provided.
Information Disclosure Statement
Initialed and dated copy of Applicants’ information disclosure statement (IDS) filed on 12/12/2024 is attached to the instant Office action. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 C.F.R. § 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Status of Claims
Amendments dated 08/11/2026 are entered.
Claims 1-12 are pending.
Claims 1-3 and 8-10 are withdrawn from consideration for being directed to non-elected invention(s).
Claims 4-7 and 11-12 are examined in this Office action.
Claim Objections
The claims are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 4 is objected to for reciting in line 1 the transitional term “comprising” followed by method steps. It is suggested to insert the phrase ---, the method--- or ---, said method--- before “comprising” in line 1 of claim 4.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. § 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 4-7 and 11-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 101 because the claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter. The claims do not fall within at least one of the four categories of patent eligible subject matter because the claimed invention is directed to a judicial exception (i.e., a law of nature, a natural phenomenon, or an abstract idea) without significantly more. The claims are determined to be directed to subject matter that is naturally occurring, or to a law of nature/natural principle or natural phenomenon. The rationale for this determination is explained below. All dependent claims are included in these rejections unless they contain a limitation that overcomes the deficiencies of the parent claim from which they depend.
The instantly pending claims are method claims. The judicial exception is the correlation of an expression of a soybean gene GmZFP7 (SEQ ID NO:1) with regulation of isoflavones in soybean.
Claims 4-7 and 11-12 read on naturally occurring expression of a soybean gene GmZFP7 (SEQ ID NO:1). Claims 4-7 and 11-12 are drawn to methods of “using” a soybean gene and the corresponding soybean protein, which apply the natural principle of a correlation between the gene / protein expression and the “regulation/regulating” of isoflavones in soybean. The “regulating isoflavones” refers to increasing or reducing an isoflavone content in a plant (Specification, page 4, line 11). However, the expression of GmZFP7 is known to naturally vary in soybeans, including variability among soybean lines, tissue-specific variability, and developmentally-regulated variability (both up- and down-regulation, i.e., both over- and under-expression); see Feng et al., 2023, Dual-function C2H2-type zinc-finger transcription factor GmZFP7 contributes to isoflavone accumulation in soybean, New Phytologist 237: 1794-1809; cited on IDS filed 12/12/2024; see in particular Fig. 1 (c), (d) depicting naturally-occurring changes in relative expression and total isoflavone content.
Although some dependent claims recite the gene GmZFP7 regulating isoflavones by downstream mode or mechanism of action, these are also interpreted as naturally occurring processes caused by the action of GmZFP7. The recited naturally occurring genes and proteins are compositions that are not linked to any recited structural features that would distinguish them from ones that are naturally occurring. The claimed products and methods are found in nature, and thus are unpatentable to the Applicants. The methods and products as claimed have the same characteristics as those found naturally, and therefore do not constitute patentable subject matter.
The claims do not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception because the claimed invention is directed to naturally-occurring process(es), cells, and organisms, with naturally occurring protein(s) and gene(s). The claimed plants and the claimed naturally-occurring protein(s) and gene(s) have the inherent property/ies of regulating isoflavones that are recited in the claims.
The claimed methods are not patent-eligible pursuant to the Supreme Court decision in Ass'n. for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics (formerly v. USPTO), 653 F.3d 1329, 99 USPQ2d 1398 (Fed. Cir. 2011), cert. granted, judgment vacated and remanded to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, No. 11-725, 80 U.S.L.W. 3380, 2012 BL 72224 (U.S. Mar. 26, 2012), reversed, ---- S.Ct. ----, 106 USPQ2d 1972, 1974-75 (2013). The claimed invention does not rise to a level that is markedly different in structure from what exists in nature. See “October 2019 Update: Subject Matter Eligibility”, issued October 17, 2019, available from the USPTO website at https://www.uspto.gov/patent/laws-and-regulations/examination-policy/subject-matter-eligibility.
Claims 4-7 and 11-12 are also rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 101 because claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter. The claims do not fall within at least one of the four categories of patent eligible subject matter because the claims are directed to a method that comprises ”using” (a gene, i.e., a composition). These claims are not proper process claims. The claims recite no method steps, further demonstrating that the claims are not to a process.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. § 112(b):
(B) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of the second paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 4-7 and 11-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA the applicant, regards as the invention. All dependent claims are included in these rejections unless they contain a limitation that overcomes the deficiencies of the parent claim from which they depend.
Claims 4-7 and 11-12 are indefinite because they merely recite a method that comprises unspecified use (i.e., “using”) without any active, positive steps delimiting how this “use” is actually practiced.
In the interest of compact prosecution, the claims are nonetheless examined.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 4-7 and 11-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by WU (Wu et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0152521 A9, a continuation of application No. 12/864690, filed on July 27, 2010, titled “Isolated novel nucleic acid and protein molecules from soy and methods of using those molecules to generate transgenic plants with enhanced agronomic traits”).
The claims are drawn to a method for regulating isoflavones, comprising using a gene GmZFP7 with a gene accession number of Gene ID: 100792169; wherein a gene locus number of the gene GmZFP7 is Glyma.20G012700; and the nucleotide sequence of the gene GmZFP7 is as shown in SEQ ID NO: 1; wherein the gene GmZFP7 regulates the isoflavones by activating an expression of a gene GmlFS2 encoding isoflavone synthase 2, and/or inhibiting an expression of a gene GmF3H encoding flavanone-3- hydroxylase 1; wherein the method comprises increasing or reducing an isoflavone content in a plant; and wherein the plant is soybean.
WU teaches isolated novel nucleic acid and protein molecules from soy and methods of using those molecules to generate transgenic plants with enhanced agronomic traits, and teaches nucleic acid and protein molecules from soy and methods of using those molecules to generate transgenic plants with enhanced agronomic traits (entire document; see Title, Abstract, for example).
WU teaches and claims recombinant DNA constructs having polynucleotides characterized by reference to SEQ ID NO:1-116778 and the corresponding cognate proteins with amino acid sequences having reference to SEQ ID NO:116779-233556 [0004; claim 3 of WU, for example).
One of the polypeptide sequences taught and claimed by WU is SEQ ID NO: 220080, which shares 100% identity with the soybean C2H2 type zinc finger protein transcription factor of instant SEQ ID NO: 2 (i.e., GmZFP7). See alignment below.
ALIGNMENT OF INSTANT SEQ ID NO:2 WITH SEQ ID NO: 220080 FROM WU
ALIGNMENT:
Query Match 100.0%; Score 1276; Length 276;
Best Local Similarity 100.0%;
Matches 238; Conservative 0; Mismatches 0; Indels 0; Gaps 0;
Qy 1 MMTPNLNLEPEDDFKVLIQVGSDKSIRETSHDLTKADPDPGPVSLDLSLNFNPGDEELKV 60
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 39 MMTPNLNLEPEDDFKVLIQVGSDKSIRETSHDLTKADPDPGPVSLDLSLNFNPGDEELKV 98
Qy 61 TSDTNCEVGPETHASASAIPRVFSCNYCWRKFFSSQALGGHQNAHKRERTMAKHAMRMGM 120
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 99 TSDTNCEVGPETHASASAIPRVFSCNYCWRKFFSSQALGGHQNAHKRERTMAKHAMRMGM 158
Qy 121 FAERYTSLASLPLHGSSFQSLGLEAHAAMHQGHVHHHSMRAPDIRAAAKFGKDYFRMPIF 180
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 159 FAERYTSLASLPLHGSSFQSLGLEAHAAMHQGHVHHHSMRAPDIRAAAKFGKDYFRMPIF 218
Qy 181 LEDDDVGLFWPGSFRQTDERGGVNLGHGEHAHNSNTCFVVATAPPAQTSASPDLTLRL 238
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 219 LEDDDVGLFWPGSFRQTDERGGVNLGHGEHAHNSNTCFVVATAPPAQTSASPDLTLRL 276
US-14-685-063A-220080
Filing date in PALM: 2015-04-13
Sequence 220080, US/14685063A
Publication No. US20170152521A9
GENERAL INFORMATION
APPLICANT: Kovalic, David
APPLICANT: Wu, Wei et al
TITLE OF INVENTION: ISOLATED NOVEL NUCLEIC ACID AND PROTEINS MOLECULES FROM SOY AND
TITLE OF INVENTION: METHODS OF USING THOSE MOLECULES TO GENERATE TRASGENIC PLANTS WITH
TITLE OF INVENTION: ENHANCED AGRONOMIC TRAITS
FILE REFERENCE: 38-21-(55306)B-PCT
CURRENT APPLICATION NUMBER: US/14/685,063A
CURRENT FILING DATE: 2015-04-13
NUMBER OF SEQ ID NOS: 233556
SEQ ID NO 220080
LENGTH: 276
TYPE: PRT
ORGANISM: Glycine max
FEATURE:
OTHER INFORMATION: Coding DNA Sequence Number=SeqID_103302
FEATURE:
OTHER INFORMATION: Gene Ontology: Mol. function=nucleic acid binding; Cellular component=
intracellular; Biological process=chromatin modification
FEATURE:
OTHER INFORMATION: Homolog annotation: Hit_ID=Q39263; Match level="QueryCoverage=74\%,
HitCoverage=90\%, E-value=1e-28, Identity=38\%"; Hit description=Zinc
finger protein 4
FEATURE:
OTHER INFORMATION: Pfam annotation: Domain name=zf-C2H2; Domain location=121-143; Score
=18.4; E_value=0.026; Accession=PF00096.16; Description=Zinc finger,
C2H2 type
WU further provides the following annotation for SEQ ID NO:220080:
PNG
media_image3.png
466
638
media_image3.png
Greyscale
Thus, WU specifically identifies the polypeptide of SEQ ID NO:220080 as being a zinc-finger, C2H2 type (zf-C2H2). The corresponding coding DNA sequence is SEQ ID NO:103302. Accordingly, WU also teaches the polynucleotide of SEQ ID NO: 103302 as a polynucleotide sequence that is 100% identical to instant SEQ ID NO:1 (i.e., GmZFP7). See alignment below.
ALIGNMENT OF INSTANT SEQ ID NO:1 WITH SEQ ID NO: 103302 FROM WU
SEQ ID NO 103302
LENGTH: 831
TYPE: DNA
ORGANISM: Glycine max
FEATURE:
OTHER INFORMATION: Peptide Sequence Number=SeqID_220080
Query Match 100.0%; Score 717; Length 831;
Best Local Similarity 100.0%;
Matches 717; Conservative 0; Mismatches 0; Indels 0; Gaps 0;
Qy 1 ATGATGACTCCAAACTTGAATCTGGAACCAGAAGATGATTTTAAAGTCCTCATCCAAGTA 60
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 115 ATGATGACTCCAAACTTGAATCTGGAACCAGAAGATGATTTTAAAGTCCTCATCCAAGTA 174
Qy 61 GGTTCTGATAAGTCGATACGAGAGACATCACATGATCTTACCAAGGCCGATCCTGACCCA 120
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 175 GGTTCTGATAAGTCGATACGAGAGACATCACATGATCTTACCAAGGCCGATCCTGACCCA 234
Qy 121 GGTCCTGTTTCCCTGGACTTGTCCCTCAACTTCAATCCCGGTGATGAAGAGTTGAAAGTT 180
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 235 GGTCCTGTTTCCCTGGACTTGTCCCTCAACTTCAATCCCGGTGATGAAGAGTTGAAAGTT 294
Qy 181 ACAAGTGACACTAACTGTGAAGTAGGACCTGAAACTCATGCCTCAGCATCAGCAATTCCT 240
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 295 ACAAGTGACACTAACTGTGAAGTAGGACCTGAAACTCATGCCTCAGCATCAGCAATTCCT 354
Qy 241 AGAGTTTTCTCTTGTAATTATTGCTGGCGGAAATTCTTTAGCTCACAGGCATTAGGTGGA 300
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 355 AGAGTTTTCTCTTGTAATTATTGCTGGCGGAAATTCTTTAGCTCACAGGCATTAGGTGGA 414
Qy 301 CACCAGAATGCTCACAAAAGGGAGAGGACAATGGCGAAGCACGCAATGCGAATGGGGATG 360
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 415 CACCAGAATGCTCACAAAAGGGAGAGGACAATGGCGAAGCACGCAATGCGAATGGGGATG 474
Qy 361 TTCGCTGAAAGGTACACAAGCCTAGCATCTCTGCCTCTTCATGGTTCCTCTTTTCAGTCG 420
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 475 TTCGCTGAAAGGTACACAAGCCTAGCATCTCTGCCTCTTCATGGTTCCTCTTTTCAGTCG 534
Qy 421 CTCGGACTTGAAGCTCATGCTGCAATGCACCAAGGACATGTGCATCATCATTCAATGAGG 480
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 535 CTCGGACTTGAAGCTCATGCTGCAATGCACCAAGGACATGTGCATCATCATTCAATGAGG 594
Qy 481 GCTCCTGATATAAGAGCTGCAGCAAAATTCGGTAAAGACTATTTTCGGATGCCGATCTTC 540
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 595 GCTCCTGATATAAGAGCTGCAGCAAAATTCGGTAAAGACTATTTTCGGATGCCGATCTTC 654
Qy 541 TTGGAAGATGATGATGTCGGTCTATTTTGGCCTGGAAGTTTCAGACAGACTGATGAAAGG 600
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 655 TTGGAAGATGATGATGTCGGTCTATTTTGGCCTGGAAGTTTCAGACAGACTGATGAAAGG 714
Qy 601 GGTGGTGTTAATTTGGGGCATGGTGAGCATGCTCATAATTCAAATACTTGTTTTGTAGTA 660
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 715 GGTGGTGTTAATTTGGGGCATGGTGAGCATGCTCATAATTCAAATACTTGTTTTGTAGTA 774
Qy 661 GCAACTGCACCTCCAGCACAAACATCTGCATCTCCTGATCTCACTCTGAGGCTTTAA 717
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 775 GCAACTGCACCTCCAGCACAAACATCTGCATCTCCTGATCTCACTCTGAGGCTTTAA 831
US-14-685-063A-103302
Filing date in PALM: 2015-04-13
Sequence 103302, US/14685063A
Publication No. US20150307890A1
GENERAL INFORMATION
APPLICANT: Kovalic, David
APPLICANT: Wu, Wei et al
TITLE OF INVENTION: ISOLATED NOVEL NUCLEIC ACID AND PROTEINS MOLECULES FROM SOY AND
TITLE OF INVENTION: METHODS OF USING THOSE MOLECULES TO GENERATE TRASGENIC PLANTS WITH
TITLE OF INVENTION: ENHANCED AGRONOMIC TRAITS
FILE REFERENCE: 38-21-(55306)B-PCT
CURRENT APPLICATION NUMBER: US/14/685,063A
CURRENT FILING DATE: 2015-04-13
NUMBER OF SEQ ID NOS: 233556
SEQ ID NO 103302
LENGTH: 831
TYPE: DNA
ORGANISM: Glycine max
FEATURE:
OTHER INFORMATION: Peptide Sequence Number=SeqID_220080
WU teaches transgenic plants, seeds, and plant cells containing DNA for expression of the proteins that are useful for imparting enhanced agronomic trait(s) to transgenic crop plants, methods of making such plants and methods of making agricultural commodity including seeds and hybrid seeds from such plants (Abstract), and teaches transformation methods and materials for making transgenic plants of the invention [0062], wherein “enhanced traits” means a characteristic of a transgenic plant that includes an enhanced agronomic trait characterized by enhanced plant morphology, physiology, growth and development, yield, nutritional enhancement, disease or pest resistance, or environmental or chemical tolerance” [0022].
WU teaches recombinant DNA constructs that are characterized as being constructed with sense-oriented and/or anti-sense-oriented polynucleotides from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 1-116778 which, when expressed in a plant cell, provide for the suppression of cognate proteins having amino acid sequences that have at least 95% identity over at least 95% of the length of a reference sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 116779-233556 [0004; 0045-0058].
WU also teaches (transformation) methods for manufacturing non-natural, transgenic seed that can be used to produce a crop of transgenic plants with an enhanced trait resulting from expression of a stably-integrated recombinant DNA construct. The methods may comprise: (a) screening a population of plants for an enhanced trait and a recombinant DNA construct, where individual plants in the population can exhibit the trait at a level less than, essentially the same as or greater than the level that the trait is exhibited in control plants, (b) selecting from the population one or more plants that exhibit the trait at a level greater than the level that said trait is exhibited in control plants, (c) collecting seed from a selected plant, (d) verifying that the recombinant DNA is stably integrated in said selected plants, (e) analyzing tissue of a selected plant to determine the production or suppression of a protein having the function of a protein encoded by nucleotides in at least one sequence selected from SEQ ID NOs:1-116778. The methods can be used for the manufacturing of transgenic soybean [0008, 0011; 0059-0068].
WU further teaches selection methods for transgenic plants with enhanced agronomic traits [0069-0076].
Regarding claims 6-7 and 11, WU is silent on the mechanism of action of GmZFP7 (i.e., the gene GmZFP7 regulates the isoflavones by activating an expression of a gene GmlFS2 encoding isoflavone synthase 2, and/or inhibiting an expression of a gene GmF3H encoding flavanone-3- hydroxylase 1). However, the property of regulating isoflavones by the action of action of GmZFP7 downstream activating and/or inhibiting expression of GmlFS2 and/or GmF3H would be inherent to the compositions and methods taught by WU, and which comprise the recited structure(s), which are required for the claimed function(s).
Accordingly, WU anticipated the claimed invention.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102 of this title, 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.
Claim 4-7 and 11-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over SAJID (Sajid M, et al., 2021, Recent Advances in Heterologous Synthesis Paving Way for Future Green-Modular Bioindustries: A Review with Special Reference to Isoflavonoids, Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol., doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.673270. PMID: 34277582; PMCID: PMC8282456) in view of WU (Wu et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0152521 A9, a continuation of application No. 12/864690, filed on July 27, 2010, titled “Isolated novel nucleic acid and protein molecules from soy and methods of using those molecules to generate transgenic plants with enhanced agronomic traits”).
The claims are drawn to a method for regulating isoflavones, comprising using a gene GmZFP7 with a gene accession number of Gene ID: 100792169; wherein a gene locus number of the gene GmZFP7 is Glyma.20G012700; and the nucleotide sequence of the gene GmZFP7 is as shown in SEQ ID NO: 1; wherein the gene GmZFP7 regulates the isoflavones by activating an expression of a gene GmlFS2 encoding isoflavone synthase 2, and/or inhibiting an expression of a gene GmF3H encoding flavanone-3- hydroxylase 1; wherein the method comprises increasing or reducing an isoflavone content in a plant; and wherein the plant is soybean.
SAJID is a review article which teaches that isoflavones are well-known plant secondary metabolites. Isoflavones play a role in plant defense, and can confer the host plant a competitive advantage to survive and flourish under environmental challenges (i.e., disease or pest resistance, or environmental or chemical tolerance) and when consumed by humans have an antioxidant and anti-oncologic activities (i.e., nutritional enhancement) (entire document; see Abstract, for example).
SAJID teaches that isoflavonoids have played a distinctive role in the history of disease prevalence across continents. It is believed that the difference in the prevalence of cancer across continents is linked with the preference for soy foods. Soybean products are rich in organic chemicals that are structurally similar to 17β-estradiol, a human sex hormone. Due to this structural similarity, isoflavonoids play an important role in cellular signaling pathways and control multiple functions in humans and are commonly known as phytoestrogens. Together with this, isoflavonoids are commonly used in cosmetics, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, food, and beverage industry; however, the pharmaceutical sector holds the largest share in the market due to potential applications of isoflavonoids in chronic and cardiovascular diseases (page 2, left col., third paragraph). See Table 1 for the large concentration of flavonoids in soybean.
SAJID teaches that a detailed overview of flavonoid biosynthesis has been recently published (page 7, left col., first paragraph). See also Figure 4 for a depiction of the biosynthesis of basic isoflavonoids.
SAJID teaches the regulation of isoflavonoids biosynthesis in plants (entire section spanning pages 8-10), with particular emphasis on the identification of some transcription factors (TFs) involved in isoflavonoid biosynthesis (page 9, right col., first paragraph). SAJID highlights the positive role of certain transcription factors in isoflavonoid biosynthesis in soybean, and teaches that the soybean genome has 4,343 predicted TF encoding genes, which are roughly equal to 6.5%, of the total number of genes in the plant. “Therefore, it seems that more TF involved in isoflavonoid biosynthesis and regulation will be identified and characterized in the future” (page 9, right col., first full paragraph). SAJID further teaches the identification of target genes predicted to be involved in isoflavonoid biosynthesis have been identified, and teaches expression correlation analysis, both positive and negative (Id., second paragraph).
Furthermore, various references cited in the SAJID review article describe the roles of a plurality of transcription factors in the up- and down- regulation of isoflavone biosynthesis (e.g., Chu et al., 2017; Gou et al., 2011; Höll et al., 2013; Yan et al., 2015; Yi et al., 2010; references not provided herein).
SAJID does not explicitly teach using a soybean transcription factor GmZFP7 to regulate isoflavones in soybean. However, such claimed compositions and methods would have been prima facie obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing the instant application for the following reasons.
WU teaches isolated novel nucleic acid and protein molecules from soy and methods of using those molecules to generate transgenic plants with enhanced agronomic traits, and teaches nucleic acid and protein molecules from soy and methods of using those molecules to generate transgenic plants with enhanced agronomic traits (entire document; see Title, Abstract, for example).
WU teaches and claims recombinant DNA constructs having polynucleotides characterized by reference to SEQ ID NO:1-116778 and the corresponding cognate proteins with amino acid sequences having reference to SEQ ID NO:116779-233556 [0004; claim 3 of WU, for example).
One of the polypeptide sequences taught and claimed by WU is SEQ ID NO: 220080, which shares 100% identity with the soybean C2H2 type zinc finger protein transcription factor of instant SEQ ID NO: 2. See alignment below.
ALIGNMENT OF INSTANT SEQ ID NO:2 WITH SEQ ID NO: 220080 FROM WU
ALIGNMENT:
Query Match 100.0%; Score 1276; Length 276;
Best Local Similarity 100.0%;
Matches 238; Conservative 0; Mismatches 0; Indels 0; Gaps 0;
Qy 1 MMTPNLNLEPEDDFKVLIQVGSDKSIRETSHDLTKADPDPGPVSLDLSLNFNPGDEELKV 60
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 39 MMTPNLNLEPEDDFKVLIQVGSDKSIRETSHDLTKADPDPGPVSLDLSLNFNPGDEELKV 98
Qy 61 TSDTNCEVGPETHASASAIPRVFSCNYCWRKFFSSQALGGHQNAHKRERTMAKHAMRMGM 120
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 99 TSDTNCEVGPETHASASAIPRVFSCNYCWRKFFSSQALGGHQNAHKRERTMAKHAMRMGM 158
Qy 121 FAERYTSLASLPLHGSSFQSLGLEAHAAMHQGHVHHHSMRAPDIRAAAKFGKDYFRMPIF 180
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 159 FAERYTSLASLPLHGSSFQSLGLEAHAAMHQGHVHHHSMRAPDIRAAAKFGKDYFRMPIF 218
Qy 181 LEDDDVGLFWPGSFRQTDERGGVNLGHGEHAHNSNTCFVVATAPPAQTSASPDLTLRL 238
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 219 LEDDDVGLFWPGSFRQTDERGGVNLGHGEHAHNSNTCFVVATAPPAQTSASPDLTLRL 276
US-14-685-063A-220080
Filing date in PALM: 2015-04-13
Sequence 220080, US/14685063A
Publication No. US20170152521A9
GENERAL INFORMATION
APPLICANT: Kovalic, David
APPLICANT: Wu, Wei et al
TITLE OF INVENTION: ISOLATED NOVEL NUCLEIC ACID AND PROTEINS MOLECULES FROM SOY AND
TITLE OF INVENTION: METHODS OF USING THOSE MOLECULES TO GENERATE TRASGENIC PLANTS WITH
TITLE OF INVENTION: ENHANCED AGRONOMIC TRAITS
FILE REFERENCE: 38-21-(55306)B-PCT
CURRENT APPLICATION NUMBER: US/14/685,063A
CURRENT FILING DATE: 2015-04-13
NUMBER OF SEQ ID NOS: 233556
SEQ ID NO 220080
LENGTH: 276
TYPE: PRT
ORGANISM: Glycine max
FEATURE:
OTHER INFORMATION: Coding DNA Sequence Number=SeqID_103302
FEATURE:
OTHER INFORMATION: Gene Ontology: Mol. function=nucleic acid binding; Cellular component=
intracellular; Biological process=chromatin modification
FEATURE:
OTHER INFORMATION: Homolog annotation: Hit_ID=Q39263; Match level="QueryCoverage=74\%,
HitCoverage=90\%, E-value=1e-28, Identity=38\%"; Hit description=Zinc
finger protein 4
FEATURE:
OTHER INFORMATION: Pfam annotation: Domain name=zf-C2H2; Domain location=121-143; Score
=18.4; E_value=0.026; Accession=PF00096.16; Description=Zinc finger,
C2H2 type
WU further provides the following annotation for SEQ ID NO:220080:
PNG
media_image3.png
466
638
media_image3.png
Greyscale
Thus, WU specifically identifies the polypeptide of SEQ ID NO:220080 as being a zinc-finger, C2H2 type (zf-C2H2). The corresponding coding DNA sequence is SEQ ID NO:103302. Accordingly, WU also teaches the polynucleotide of SEQ ID NO: 103302 as a polynucleotide sequence that is 100% identical to instant SEQ ID NO:1 (i.e., GmZFP7). See alignment below.
ALIGNMENT OF INSTANT SEQ ID NO:1 WITH SEQ ID NO: 103302 FROM WU
SEQ ID NO 103302
LENGTH: 831
TYPE: DNA
ORGANISM: Glycine max
FEATURE:
OTHER INFORMATION: Peptide Sequence Number=SeqID_220080
Query Match 100.0%; Score 717; Length 831;
Best Local Similarity 100.0%;
Matches 717; Conservative 0; Mismatches 0; Indels 0; Gaps 0;
Qy 1 ATGATGACTCCAAACTTGAATCTGGAACCAGAAGATGATTTTAAAGTCCTCATCCAAGTA 60
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 115 ATGATGACTCCAAACTTGAATCTGGAACCAGAAGATGATTTTAAAGTCCTCATCCAAGTA 174
Qy 61 GGTTCTGATAAGTCGATACGAGAGACATCACATGATCTTACCAAGGCCGATCCTGACCCA 120
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 175 GGTTCTGATAAGTCGATACGAGAGACATCACATGATCTTACCAAGGCCGATCCTGACCCA 234
Qy 121 GGTCCTGTTTCCCTGGACTTGTCCCTCAACTTCAATCCCGGTGATGAAGAGTTGAAAGTT 180
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 235 GGTCCTGTTTCCCTGGACTTGTCCCTCAACTTCAATCCCGGTGATGAAGAGTTGAAAGTT 294
Qy 181 ACAAGTGACACTAACTGTGAAGTAGGACCTGAAACTCATGCCTCAGCATCAGCAATTCCT 240
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 295 ACAAGTGACACTAACTGTGAAGTAGGACCTGAAACTCATGCCTCAGCATCAGCAATTCCT 354
Qy 241 AGAGTTTTCTCTTGTAATTATTGCTGGCGGAAATTCTTTAGCTCACAGGCATTAGGTGGA 300
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 355 AGAGTTTTCTCTTGTAATTATTGCTGGCGGAAATTCTTTAGCTCACAGGCATTAGGTGGA 414
Qy 301 CACCAGAATGCTCACAAAAGGGAGAGGACAATGGCGAAGCACGCAATGCGAATGGGGATG 360
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 415 CACCAGAATGCTCACAAAAGGGAGAGGACAATGGCGAAGCACGCAATGCGAATGGGGATG 474
Qy 361 TTCGCTGAAAGGTACACAAGCCTAGCATCTCTGCCTCTTCATGGTTCCTCTTTTCAGTCG 420
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 475 TTCGCTGAAAGGTACACAAGCCTAGCATCTCTGCCTCTTCATGGTTCCTCTTTTCAGTCG 534
Qy 421 CTCGGACTTGAAGCTCATGCTGCAATGCACCAAGGACATGTGCATCATCATTCAATGAGG 480
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 535 CTCGGACTTGAAGCTCATGCTGCAATGCACCAAGGACATGTGCATCATCATTCAATGAGG 594
Qy 481 GCTCCTGATATAAGAGCTGCAGCAAAATTCGGTAAAGACTATTTTCGGATGCCGATCTTC 540
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 595 GCTCCTGATATAAGAGCTGCAGCAAAATTCGGTAAAGACTATTTTCGGATGCCGATCTTC 654
Qy 541 TTGGAAGATGATGATGTCGGTCTATTTTGGCCTGGAAGTTTCAGACAGACTGATGAAAGG 600
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 655 TTGGAAGATGATGATGTCGGTCTATTTTGGCCTGGAAGTTTCAGACAGACTGATGAAAGG 714
Qy 601 GGTGGTGTTAATTTGGGGCATGGTGAGCATGCTCATAATTCAAATACTTGTTTTGTAGTA 660
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 715 GGTGGTGTTAATTTGGGGCATGGTGAGCATGCTCATAATTCAAATACTTGTTTTGTAGTA 774
Qy 661 GCAACTGCACCTCCAGCACAAACATCTGCATCTCCTGATCTCACTCTGAGGCTTTAA 717
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Db 775 GCAACTGCACCTCCAGCACAAACATCTGCATCTCCTGATCTCACTCTGAGGCTTTAA 831
US-14-685-063A-103302
Filing date in PALM: 2015-04-13
Sequence 103302, US/14685063A
Publication No. US20150307890A1
GENERAL INFORMATION
APPLICANT: Kovalic, David
APPLICANT: Wu, Wei et al
TITLE OF INVENTION: ISOLATED NOVEL NUCLEIC ACID AND PROTEINS MOLECULES FROM SOY AND
TITLE OF INVENTION: METHODS OF USING THOSE MOLECULES TO GENERATE TRASGENIC PLANTS WITH
TITLE OF INVENTION: ENHANCED AGRONOMIC TRAITS
FILE REFERENCE: 38-21-(55306)B-PCT
CURRENT APPLICATION NUMBER: US/14/685,063A
CURRENT FILING DATE: 2015-04-13
NUMBER OF SEQ ID NOS: 233556
SEQ ID NO 103302
LENGTH: 831
TYPE: DNA
ORGANISM: Glycine max
FEATURE:
OTHER INFORMATION: Peptide Sequence Number=SeqID_220080
WU teaches transgenic plants, seeds, and plant cells containing DNA for expression of the proteins that are useful for imparting enhanced agronomic trait(s) to transgenic crop plants, methods of making such plants and methods of making agricultural commodity including seeds and hybrid seeds from such plants (Abstract), and teaches transformation methods and materials for making transgenic plants of the invention [0062], wherein “enhanced traits” means a characteristic of a transgenic plant that includes an enhanced agronomic trait characterized by enhanced plant morphology, physiology, growth and development, yield, nutritional enhancement, disease or pest resistance, or environmental or chemical tolerance” [0022].
WU teaches recombinant DNA constructs that are characterized as being constructed with sense-oriented and/or anti-sense-oriented polynucleotides from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 1-116778 which, when expressed in a plant cell, provide for the suppression of cognate proteins having amino acid sequences that have at least 95% identity over at least 95% of the length of a reference sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 116779-233556 [0004; 0045-0058].
WU also teaches (transformation) methods for manufacturing non-natural, transgenic seed that can be used to produce a crop of transgenic plants with an enhanced trait resulting from expression of a stably-integrated recombinant DNA construct. The methods may comprise: (a) screening a population of plants for an enhanced trait and a recombinant DNA construct, where individual plants in the population can exhibit the trait at a level less than, essentially the same as or greater than the level that the trait is exhibited in control plants, (b) selecting from the population one or more plants that exhibit the trait at a level greater than the level that said trait is exhibited in control plants, (c) collecting seed from a selected plant, (d) verifying that the recombinant DNA is stably integrated in said selected plants, (e) analyzing tissue of a selected plant to determine the production or suppression of a protein having the function of a protein encoded by nucleotides in at least one sequence selected from SEQ ID NOs:1-116778. The methods can be used for the manufacturing of transgenic soybean [0008, 0011; 0059-0068].
WU further teaches selection methods for transgenic plants with enhanced agronomic traits [0069-0076].
Regarding claims 6-7 and 11, WU is silent on the mechanism of action of GmZFP7 (i.e., the gene GmZFP7 regulates the isoflavones by activating an expression of a gene GmlFS2 encoding isoflavone synthase 2, and/or inhibiting an expression of a gene GmF3H encoding flavanone-3- hydroxylase 1). However, the property of regulating isoflavones by the action of action of GmZFP7 downstream activating and/or inhibiting expression of GmlFS2 and/or GmF3H would be inherent to the compositions and methods taught by WU, and which comprise the recited structure(s), which are required for the claimed function(s).
Given the teachings of SAJID and WU as described above, it would have been prima facie obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing the instant application to use and to modify the compositions and methods taught by SAJID and WU, art to use WU’s described soybean zinc-finger, C2H2 type transcription factor of SEQ ID NO:220080 (encoded by SEQ ID NO: 103302), and to express it transgenic plants; and this would result in the Applicants’ invention; with a reasonable expectation of success, and without any surprising results. Obviously, one of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do so for the purpose of regulating (i.e., increasing or decreasing) isoflavonoids biosynthesis in plants, and in particular in soybean, as taught by SAJID. As described above, SAJID specifically provides motivation for the identification of additional transcription factors (TFs) involved in isoflavonoid biosynthesis and regulation. That would also lead to the discovery of the GmZFP7’s effects on the expression of downstream target genes GmlFS2 and GmF3H (cf. instant claims 6 and 11).
Bioinformatic analysis, in silico, cDNA, and genomic library screening, recombinant DNA technology including vector construction, plant transformation, and analysis of isoflavones content in plants, are techniques that were routine in the art at the time of filing, as taught by the cited references and the state of the art in general.
Summary
No claim is allowed.
Examiner’s Contact Information
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BRATISLAV STANKOVIC, JD, PhD
Supervisory Patent Examiner
Art Units 1661 & 1662
/BRATISLAV STANKOVIC/SPE, Art Units 1661 & 1662
Prosecution Insights