Patent ID: 7138513

Claim:
An isolated nucleic acid molecule selected from the group consisting of: a) an isolated nucleic acid molecule encoding the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:2, wherein either (i) the amino acid residue at position 337 of SEQ ID NO:2 is any amino acid except proline; (ii) the amino acid residue at position 405 of SEQ ID NO:2 is any amino acid except threonine; or (iii) the amino acid residue at position 504 of SEQ ID NO:2 is any amino acid except proline; or a complement thereof; b) an isolated nucleic acid molecule comprising the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1, wherein the nucleic acid molecule comprises one or more nucleic acid modifications as compared to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1 such that either (i) nucleotide residues 1109–1111 of SEQ ID NO:1 encode any amino acid except proline; (ii) nucleotide residues 1313–1315 of SEQ ID NO:1 encode any amino acid except threonine or (iii) nucleotide residues 1610–1612 of SEQ ID NO:1 encode any amino acid except proline; or a complement thereof; and c) an isolated nucleic acid molecule comprising the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1, wherein the nucleic acid molecule comprises one or more nucleic acid modifications either (i) at nucleotide residues 1109–1111 of SEQ ID NO:1 such that nucleotide residues 1109–1111 of SEQ ID NO:1 encode any amino acid except proline; (ii) at nucleotide residues 1313–1315 of SEQ ID NO:1 such that nucleotide residues 1313–1315 of SEQ ID NO:1 encode any amino acid except threonine or (iii) at nucleotide residues 1610–1612 of SEQ ID NO:1 such that nucleotide residues 1610–1612 of SEQ ID NO:1 encode any amino acid except proline; or a complement thereof.