2412.03(a) “Specifically Defined” [R-07.2022]

2412.03(a) “Specifically Defined” [R-07.2022]

[Editor Note: This section is applicable to all applications filed on or after July 1, 2022, having disclosures of nucleotide and/or amino acid sequences as defined in 37 CFR 1.831(b).]

37 CFR 1.831 Requirements for patent applications filed on or after July 1, 2022, having nucleotide and/or amino acid sequence disclosures.

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  • (e) “Specifically defined” means any amino acid or nucleotide as defined in paragraph 3(k) of WIPO Standard ST.26.
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WIPO Standard ST.26, paragraph 3k, provides that “specifically defined” means any nucleotide other than those represented by the symbol “n” and any amino acid other than those represented by the symbol “X,” shown below in Table 1 for nucleotide symbols and Table 3 for amino acids symbols.

Table 1: List of Nucleotides Symbols
Symbol Definition
a adenine
c cytosine
g guanine
t thymine in DNA/uracil in RNA (t/u)
m a or c
r a or g
w a or t/u
s c or g
y c or t/u
k g or t/u
v a or c or g; not t/u
h a or c or t/u; not g
d a or g or t/u; not c
b c or g or t/u; not a
n a or c or g or t/u; “unknown” or “other”

Reproduced from WIPO Standard ST.26, Annex I, Section 1

Table 3: List of Amino Acids Symbols
Symbol Definition
A Alanine
R Arginine
N Asparagine
D Aspartic acid (Aspartate)
C Cysteine
Q Glutamine
E Glutamic acid (Glutamate)
G Glycine
H Histidine
I Isoleucine
L Leucine
K Lysine
M Methionine
F Phenylalanine
P Proline
O Pyrrolysine
S Serine
U Selenocysteine
T Threonine
W Tryptophan
Y Tyrosine
V Valine
B Aspartic acid or Asparagine
Z Glutamine or Glutamic acid
J Leucine or Isoleucine
X A or R or N or D or C or Q or E or G or H or I or L or K or M or F or P or O or S or U or T or W or Y or V; “unknown” or “other”

Reproduced from WIPO Standard ST.26, Annex I, Section 3