Isolated berovin photoprotein and use thereof
The invention relates to the photoprotein berovin, to its nucleotide and amino acid sequences and to the activity and use of the photoprotein berovin.
1 . A nucleic acid molecule which is selected from the group consisting of
a) nucleic acid molecules which encode a polypeptide which comprises the amino acid sequence disclosed by SEQ ID NO: 2;
b) nucleic acid molecules which contain the sequence depicted by SEQ ID NO: 1;
c) nucleic acid molecules whose complementary strand hybridizes with a nucleic acid molecule from a) or b) under stringent conditions and which exhibit the biological function of a photoprotein;
d) nucleic acid molecules which differ from the nucleic acid molecules mentioned under c) due to the degeneracy of the genetic code;
e) nucleic acid molecules which exhibit a sequence homology with SEQ ID NO: 1 of at least 95% and have the biological function of a photoprotein; and
f) nucleic acid molecules which exhibit a sequence homology with SEQ ID NO: 1 of at least 65% and have the biological function of a photoprotein.
2 . The nucleic acid as claimed in claim 1 which contains a functional promoter 5′ to the photoprotein-encoding sequence.
3 . The nucleic acid of claim 2 which is in a recombinant DNA or RNA vector.
4 . An organism comprising the vector as claimed in claim 3 .
5 . An oligonucleotide having more than 10 consecutive nucleotides which is identical or complementary to a constituent sequence of a nucleic acid molecule as claimed in claim 1 .
6 . A polypeptide which is encoded by a nucleic acid molecule selected from the group consisting of
(a) nucleic acid molecules which encode a polypeptide which comprises the amino acid sequence disclosed by SEQ ID NO: 2.
(b) nucleic acid molecules which contain the sequence depicted by SEQ ID NO: 1;
(c) nucleic acid molecules whose complementary strand hybridizes with a nucleic acid molecule from a) or b) under stringent conditions and which exhibit the biological function of a photoprotein:
(d) nucleic acid molecules which differ from the nucleic acid molecules mentioned under c) due to the degeneracy of the genetic code;
(e) nucleic acid molecules which exhibit a sequence homology with SEQ ID NO: 1 of at least 95% and have the biological function of a photoprotein; and
(f) nucleic acid molecules which exhibit a sequence homology with SEQ ID NO: 1 of at least 65% and have the biological function of a photoprotein.
7 . A method for expressing a polypeptide comprising:
expressing in a bacterium, a eukaryotic cell, or an in vitro expression system a nucleic acid molecule encoding the photoprotein polypeptide of claim 6 .
8 . (canceled)
9 . A peptide having more than 5 consecutive amino acids which is recognized immunologically by antibodies directed against the photoprotein berovin.
10 - 11 . (canceled)