MPEP § 2425 — Form and Format for a Nucleotide and/or Amino Acid Sequence Submission as an ASCII Plain Text File under WIPO ST.25 (Annotated Rules)

§2425 Form and Format for a Nucleotide and/or Amino Acid Sequence Submission as an ASCII Plain Text File under WIPO ST.25

USPTO MPEP version: BlueIron's Update: 2025-12-31

This page consolidates and annotates all enforceable requirements under MPEP § 2425, including statutory authority, regulatory rules, examiner guidance, and practice notes. It is provided as guidance, with links to the ground truth sources. This is information only, it is not legal advice.

Form and Format for a Nucleotide and/or Amino Acid Sequence Submission as an ASCII Plain Text File under WIPO ST.25

This section addresses Form and Format for a Nucleotide and/or Amino Acid Sequence Submission as an ASCII Plain Text File under WIPO ST.25. Primary authority: 37 CFR 1.821(c)(1), 37 CFR 1.821(e), and 37 CFR 1.824. Contains: 4 requirements, 1 prohibition, and 3 permissions.

Key Rules

Topic

Sequence Listing Format

7 rules
StatutoryPermittedAlways
[mpep-2425-02014302a7a3a3211542d7b2]
Nonprintable Characters Prohibited Except CRLF/LF
Note:
The ASCII plain text file for sequence listings must not contain nonprintable (ASCII control) characters, except for CRLF or LF as line terminators.

(a) A “Sequence Listing” under § 1.821(c)(1) and the CRF required by § 1.821(e) submitted as an ASCII plain text file may be created by any means, such as text editors, nucleotide/amino acid sequence editors, or other custom computer programs; however, the ASCII plain text file must conform to the following requirements:
(2) Must be in ASCII plain text, where:

(ii) No nonprintable (ASCII control) characters are permitted, except ASCII CRLF or LF as line terminators.

Jump to MPEP Source · 37 CFR 1.821(c)(1)Sequence Listing FormatSequence Listing ContentSequence Listing Requirements
StatutoryRequiredAlways
[mpep-2425-9efcc84be247e49852b7c4f0]
Sequence Listing File Must Be Named *.txt
Note:
The sequence listing file must be named with a single character or combination of upper- or lowercase letters, numbers, hyphens, and underscores, not exceeding 60 characters in total, excluding the .txt extension.

(a) A “Sequence Listing” under § 1.821(c)(1) and the CRF required by § 1.821(e) submitted as an ASCII plain text file may be created by any means, such as text editors, nucleotide/amino acid sequence editors, or other custom computer programs; however, the ASCII plain text file must conform to the following requirements:

(3) Must be named as *.txt, where “*” is one character or a combination of characters limited to upper- or lowercase letters, numbers, hyphens, and underscores and does not exceed 60 characters in total, excluding the extension.

Jump to MPEP Source · 37 CFR 1.821(c)(1)Sequence Listing FormatSequence Listing ContentSequence Listing Requirements
StatutoryPermittedAlways
[mpep-2425-c0062b8c140136d89df954fc]
Sequence Listing File Must Be Named Properly
Note:
The ASCII plain text file for a sequence listing must be named with characters limited to upper- or lowercase letters, numbers, hyphens, and underscores, not exceeding 60 characters in total.

(a) A “Sequence Listing” under § 1.821(c)(1) and the CRF required by § 1.821(e) submitted as an ASCII plain text file may be created by any means, such as text editors, nucleotide/amino acid sequence editors, or other custom computer programs; however, the ASCII plain text file must conform to the following requirements:

No spaces or other types of characters are permitted in the file name.

Jump to MPEP Source · 37 CFR 1.821(c)(1)Sequence Listing FormatSequence Listing ContentSequence Listing Requirements
StatutoryRequiredAlways
[mpep-2425-b1f718ab62133baf5b24b163]
Sequence Listing Must Be Continuous ASCII Text
Note:
The sequence listing must be submitted as a single continuous ASCII plain text file without page breaks or numbering.

(a) A “Sequence Listing” under § 1.821(c)(1) and the CRF required by § 1.821(e) submitted as an ASCII plain text file may be created by any means, such as text editors, nucleotide/amino acid sequence editors, or other custom computer programs; however, the ASCII plain text file must conform to the following requirements:

(5) Pagination is not permitted; the ASCII plain text file must be one continuous file, with no “hard page break” codes and no page numbering.

Jump to MPEP Source · 37 CFR 1.821(c)(1)Sequence Listing FormatSequence Listing ContentSequence Listing Requirements
StatutoryRequiredAlways
[mpep-2425-8577038076ee868921805928]
Single Sequence Listing Required
Note:
The ASCII plain text file must contain a single 'Sequence Listing' and be submitted electronically via the USPTO system or on a read-only optical disc, adhering to specific compression and size requirements.
(b) The ASCII plain text file must contain a copy of a single “Sequence Listing” in a single file and be submitted either:
  • (1) Electronically via the USPTO patent electronic filing system, where the file must not exceed 100 MB, and file compression is not permitted; or
  • (2) On a read-only optical disc(s), in compliance with § 1.52(e), where:
    • (i) A file that is not compressed must be contained on a single read-only optical disc;
    • (ii) The file may be compressed using WinZip ®, 7-Zip, or Unix ® /Linux ® Zip;
    • (iii) A compressed file must not be self-extracting; and
    • (iv) A compressed ASCII plain text file that does not fit on a single read-only optical disc may be split into multiple file parts, in accordance with the target read-only optical disc size, and labeled in compliance with § 1.52(e)(5)(vi).
Jump to MPEP Source · 37 CFR 1.824Sequence Listing FormatSequence Listing RequirementsSequence Listing Content
StatutoryInformativeAlways
[mpep-2425-fd20839bf1cd1d7374491de9]
Requirements for Sequence Submissions as ASCII Plain Text File
Note:
This rule outlines the necessary format and requirements for submitting sequence data in an ASCII plain text file.

37 CFR 1.824 sets forth the requirements for sequence submissions as an ASCII plain text file. Any computer editing program may be utilized to produce the ASCII plain text file; however, the resultant file must have the characteristics specified in 37 CFR 1.824.

Jump to MPEP Source · 37 CFR 1.824Sequence Listing FormatSequence Listing RequirementsSequence Listing Content
StatutoryProhibitedAlways
[mpep-2425-aaf839bf7d663d352ed32196]
Large Sequence Listing Can Use Optical Disc
Note:
If a sequence listing exceeds 100 megabytes for electronic submission, it can be submitted on read-only optical disc instead.

If the “Sequence Listing” required by 37 CFR 1.821(c) cannot be submitted via USPTO patent electronic filing system because it is larger than 100 megabytes (see MPEP § 2422.03(a)(III)), the “Sequence Listing” may be submitted on read-only optical disc(s) in compliance with 37 CFR 1.52(e). See 37 CFR 1.824(b)(2).

Jump to MPEP Source · 37 CFR 1.821(c)Sequence Listing FormatSequence Listing RequirementsSequence Listing Content
Topic

Sequence Listing Content

4 rules
StatutoryInformativeAlways
[mpep-2425-2404771423699296e5aa6fa1]
Rule Not Applicable to Post-July 1, 2022 Filings
Note:
This rule does not apply to applications filed on or after July 1, 2022, that disclose nucleotide and/or amino acid sequences as defined in 37 CFR 1.831(b).

[Editor Note: This section is not applicable to 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). See MPEP §§ 2412 – 2419 for guidance on WIPO ST.26 requirements for applications filed on or after July 1, 2022.]

37 CFR 1.77 · 37 CFR 1.831(b)Sequence Listing ContentSequence Listing RequirementsSequence Listing Format
StatutoryRequiredAlways
[mpep-2425-5fcc0a6bf877fa62004cfb1d]
Sequence Listing File Must Conform to ASCII Plain Text Requirements
Note:
The sequence listing file must be created using any means but must conform to specific ASCII plain text requirements including compatibility, format, naming, and line length.
(a) A “Sequence Listing” under § 1.821(c)(1) and the CRF required by § 1.821(e) submitted as an ASCII plain text file may be created by any means, such as text editors, nucleotide/amino acid sequence editors, or other custom computer programs; however, the ASCII plain text file must conform to the following requirements:
  • (1) Must have the following compatibilities:
    • (i) Computer compatibility: PC or Mac ®; and
    • (ii) Operating system compatibility: MS–DOS ®, MS-Windows ®, Mac OS ®, or Unix ® /Linux ®.
  • (2) Must be in ASCII plain text, where:
    • (i) All printable characters (including the space character) are permitted; and
    • (ii) No nonprintable (ASCII control) characters are permitted, except ASCII CRLF or LF as line terminators.
  • (3) Must be named as *.txt, where “*” is one character or a combination of characters limited to upper- or lowercase letters, numbers, hyphens, and underscores and does not exceed 60 characters in total, excluding the extension. No spaces or other types of characters are permitted in the file name.
  • (4) Must contain no more than 74 printable characters in each line.
  • (5) Pagination is not permitted; the ASCII plain text file must be one continuous file, with no “hard page break” codes and no page numbering.
Jump to MPEP Source · 37 CFR 1.821(c)(1)Sequence Listing ContentSequence Listing FormatSequence Listing Requirements
StatutoryPermittedAlways
[mpep-2425-646f876087923d9b1073a83d]
Sequence Listing Can Be Split Across Discs
Note:
A compressed ASCII plain text file containing a Sequence Listing can be split into multiple parts if it exceeds the size of a single read-only optical disc and must comply with labeling requirements.

(b) The ASCII plain text file must contain a copy of a single “Sequence Listing” in a single file and be submitted either:
(2) On a read-only optical disc(s), in compliance with § 1.52(e), where:

(iv) A compressed ASCII plain text file that does not fit on a single read-only optical disc may be split into multiple file parts, in accordance with the target read-only optical disc size, and labeled in compliance with § 1.52(e)(5)(vi).

Jump to MPEP Source · 37 CFR 1.824Sequence Listing ContentSequence Listing FormatSequence Listing Requirements
StatutoryRequiredAlways
[mpep-2425-7b8e5d29cba81f7924211463]
ASCII Plain Text File Requirement for Sequence Submissions
Note:
The resultant ASCII plain text file must comply with the requirements specified in 37 CFR 1.824 for nucleotide and/or amino acid sequence submissions.

37 CFR 1.824 sets forth the requirements for sequence submissions as an ASCII plain text file. Any computer editing program may be utilized to produce the ASCII plain text file; however, the resultant file must have the characteristics specified in 37 CFR 1.824.

Jump to MPEP Source · 37 CFR 1.824Sequence Listing ContentSequence Listing FormatSequence Listing Requirements

Citations

Primary topicCitation
Sequence Listing Content
Sequence Listing Format
37 CFR § 1.52(e)
Sequence Listing Content
Sequence Listing Format
37 CFR § 1.52(e)(5)(vi)
Sequence Listing Format37 CFR § 1.821(c)
Sequence Listing Content
Sequence Listing Format
37 CFR § 1.821(c)(1)
Sequence Listing Content
Sequence Listing Format
37 CFR § 1.821(e)
Sequence Listing Content
Sequence Listing Format
37 CFR § 1.824
Sequence Listing Format37 CFR § 1.824(b)(2)
Sequence Listing Content37 CFR § 1.831(b)
Sequence Listing ContentMPEP § 2412
Sequence Listing FormatMPEP § 2422.03(a)(III)

Source Text from USPTO’s MPEP

This is an exact copy of the MPEP from the USPTO. It is here for your reference to see the section in context.

BlueIron Last Updated: 2025-12-31