Cambridge University Technical Services Limited

Lumora Limited

The United States of America As Represented by the Secretary of the State of Defence

James Augustus Henry Murray

David James Squirrell

Christopher Robin Lowe

Laurence Carlo Tisi

Peter J White

Olga Gandelman

Victoria Louise Church

A method for determining the amount of template nucleic acid present in a sample comprising the steps of: i) bringing into association with the sample all the components necessary for nucleic acid amplification, and all the components necessary for a bioluminescence assay for nucleic acid amplification and subsequently: ii) performing the nucleic acid amplification reaction; iii) monitoring the intensity of light output from the bioluminescence assay; and iv) determining the amount of template nucleic acid present in the sample.

Method for determining the amount of template nucleic acid present in a sample

A process is provided for modifying growth or architecture of plants by altering the level or the functional level of a cell division controlling protein, preferably a cell-division controlling protein that binds phosphorylates retinoblasoma-link proteins, more preferably a cyclin, particularly a D-type cyclin within cells of a plant. Also provided are chimeric genes comprising a transcribed DNA region encoding an RNA or a protein, which when expressed either increases or decreases the level or functional level of a cell-division controlling protein, and plant cells and plants expressing such chimeric genes.

Plants with modified growth

Enzymes and methods suitable for assaying ATP, and specific application for such assays are described and claimed. In particular, there is described a recombinant mutant luciferase having a mutation for example, in the amino-acid corresponding to amino acid residue number 245 in,is such that the K,for ATP of the luciferase is increased e.g. five-fold with respect to that of the corresponding non-mutated enzyme such that it is of the order of 500 &mgr;m-1 mM. Also disclosed are luciferases having additional mutations conferring improved thermostability or altered wavelength of emitted light. Recombinant polynucleotides, vectors and host cells are also disclosed, as are methods of assaying the amount of ATP in a material (e.g. cells) optionally in real-time. Also disclosed are test-kits for in vitro assays.

Enzyme assay for mutant firefly luciferase

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Cambridge, United Kingdom

James Augustus Henry Murray