Patent ID: 7736878

Claim:
An isolated, synthetic, and/or recombinant polynucleotide comprising: (a) a nucleotide sequence encoding a native amino acid sequence of a cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer (CPD) glycosylase protein from an organism selected from the group consisting of Bacteriophage T4, Bacteriophage RB69 , Paramecium bursaria Chlorella virus I, Prochlorus marinus, Bordetella parapertussis, Haemophilus ducreyi, Brucella melitensis, Pasteurella multocida, Micrococcus luteus, Nitrosomonas europeaea and Azoarcus sp. EbN1; or (b) a complement of said nucleotide sequence, wherein the complement and the nucleotide sequence consist of the same number of nucleotides and are 100% complementary; wherein: (I) Groups A and B represent the following codons for the following amino acids: Amino Acid Codon Group A Tyrosine TAC Glycine GGT Valine GTT Serine TCT Alanine GCT or GCA Group B Isoleucine ATC Phenylalanine TTC Aspartic Acid GAC Histidine CAC and (II) the nucleotide sequence comprises: (a) at least two codons from Group A for more than 45% of the occurrences of the amino acid coded by the codon in the CPD glycosylase protein and at least two codons from Group B for more than 45% of the occurrences of the amino acid coded by the codon in the CPD glycosylase protein; or (b) at least three codons from Group A for more than 35% of the occurrences of the amino acid coded by the codon in the CPD glycosylase protein and at least three codons from Group B for more than 35% of the occurrences of the amino acid coded by the codon in the CPD glycosylase protein.