Classifications

• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C07—ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
  • C07K—PEPTIDES
  • C07K14/00—Peptides having more than 20 amino acids; Gastrins; Somatostatins; Melanotropins; Derivatives thereof
  • C07K14/435—Peptides having more than 20 amino acids; Gastrins; Somatostatins; Melanotropins; Derivatives thereof from animals; from humans
  • C07K14/705—Receptors; Cell surface antigens; Cell surface determinants
  • C07K14/72—Receptors; Cell surface antigens; Cell surface determinants for hormones
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61K—PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES
  • A61K38/00—Medicinal preparations containing peptides

Definitions

• the present invention relates to the discovery, identification, and characterization of novel human polynucleotides encoding proteins that share sequence similarity with animal organic anion transporter proteins.
• the invention encompasses the described polynucleotides, host cell expression systems, the encoded proteins, fusion proteins, polypeptides and peptides, antibodies to the encoded proteins and peptides, and genetically engineered animals that either lack or over express the disclosed sequences, antagonists and agonists of the proteins, and other compounds that modulate the expression or activity of the proteins encoded by the disclosed sequences that can be used for diagnosis, drug screening, clinical trial monitoring and the treatment of physiological disorders.
• Transporter proteins mediate the inflow or outflow of compounds and/or ions across membranes. Given the physiological importance of such activities, transporter proteins have been subject to intense scrutiny and are proven drug targets .
• the present invention relates to the discovery, identification, and characterization of nucleotides that encode novel human proteins, and the corresponding amino acid sequences of these proteins.
• novel human proteins (NHPs) described for the first time herein share structural similarity with animal organic anion, and more particularly prostaglandin, transporter proteins. As such, the NHPs represents a new family of proteins having homologues and orthologs across a range of phyla and species.
• the novel human nucleic acid sequence described herein encodes alternative proteins/open reading frames (ORFs) of 536 or 535 amino acids in length (see SEQ ID NO: 2) .
• the invention also encompasses agonists and antagonists of the described NHPs, including small molecules, large molecules, mutant NHPs, or portions thereof that compete with native NHPs, peptides, and antibodies, as well as nucleotide sequences that can be used to inhibit the expression of the described NHP (e . g. , antisense and ribozyme molecules, and gene or regulatory sequence replacement constructs) or to enhance the expression of the described NHP polynucleotides
• the present invention also includes both transgenic animals that express a NHP transgene, and NHP "knock-outs" (which can be conditional) that do not express a functional NHP.
• the present invention also relates to processes for identifying compounds that modulate, i.e., act as agonists or antagonists, of NHP expression and/or NHP product activity that utilize purified preparations of the described NHP and/or NHP product, or cells expressing the same.
• Such compounds can be used as therapeutic agents for the treatment of any of a wide variety of symptoms associated with biological disorders or imbalances.
• the NHPs are novel proteins that are expressed in, inter alia, human cell lines, and human brain, pituitary, spinal cord, lymph node, trachea, testis, heart, adipose, skin, pericardium, and hypothalamus cells.
• the described sequences were compiled from gene trapped cDNAs and clones isolated from a human lymph node cDNA library (Edge Biosystems, Gaithersburg, MD) .
• the present invention encompasses the nucleotides presented in the Sequence Listing, host cells expressing such nucleotides, the expression products of such nucleotides, and: (a) nucleotides that encode mammalian homologs of the described sequence, including the specifically described NHP, and the NHP products; (b) nucleotides that encode one or more portions of the NHP that correspond to functional domains, and the polypeptide products specified by such nucleotide sequences, including but not limited to the novel regions of any active domain(s); (c) isolated nucleotides that encode mutant versions, engineered or naturally occurring, of the described NHP in which all or a part of at least one domain is deleted or altered, and the polypeptide products specified by such nucleotide sequences, including but not limited to soluble proteins and peptides in which all or a portion of the signal sequence in deleted; (d) nucleotides that encode chimeric fusion proteins containing all or a portion of a coding region of an NHP
• the present invention includes: (a) the human DNA sequences presented in the Sequence Listing (and vectors comprising the same) and additionally contemplates any nucleotide sequence encoding a contiguous NHP open reading frame (ORF) that hybridizes to a complement of a DNA sequence presented in the Sequence Listing under highly stringent conditions, e.g., hybridization to filter-bound DNA in 0.5 M NaHP0 4 , 7% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) , 1 mM EDTA at 65°C, and washing in 0. lxSSC/0.1% SDS at 68 °C (Ausubel F.M. et al . , eds .
• ORF NHP open reading frame
• NHP NHP polynucleotide sequences
• the invention also includes nucleic acid molecules, preferably DNA molecules, that hybridize to, and are therefore the complements of, the described NHP nucleotide sequences.
• Such hybridization conditions may be highly stringent or less highly stringent, as described above.
• the nucleic acid molecules are deoxyoligonucleotides ("DNA oligos")
• DNA oligos such molecules are generally about 16 to about 100 bases long, or about 20 to about 80, or about 34 to about 45 bases long, or any variation or combination of sizes represented therein that incorporate a contiguous region of sequence first disclosed in the Sequence Listing.
• Such oligonucleotides can be used in conjunction with the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to screen libraries, isolate clones, and prepare cloning and sequencing templates, etc.
• PCR polymerase chain reaction
• NHP oligonucleotides can be used as hybridization probes for screening libraries, and assessing gene expression patterns (particularly using a micro array or high-throughput "chip" format) .
• a series of the described NHP oligonucleotide sequences, or the complements thereof, can be used to represent all or a portion of the described NHP sequences.
• the oligonucleotides typically between about 16 to about 40 (or any whole number within the stated range) nucleotides in length may partially overlap each other and/or the NHP sequence may be represented using oligonucleotides that do not overlap.
• the described NHP polynucleotide sequences shall typically comprise at least about two or three distinct oligonucleotide sequences of at least about 18, and preferably about 25, nucleotides in length that are each first disclosed in the described Sequence Listing.
• Such oligonucleotide sequences may begin at any nucleotide present within a sequence in the Sequence Listing and proceed in either a sense (5'-to-3') orientation vis-a-vis the described sequence or in an antisense orientation.
• highly stringent conditions may refer, e.g., to washing in 6xSSC/0.05% sodium pyrophosphate at 37°C (for 14-base oligos), 48°C (for 17-base oligos), 55°C (for 20-base oligos), and 60 °C (for 23-base oligos) .
• These nucleic acid molecules may encode or act as NHP sequence antisense molecules, useful, for example, in NHP sequence regulation (for and/or as antisense primers in amplification reactions of NHP gene nucleic acid sequences). With respect to NHP gene regulation, such techniques can be used to regulate biological functions.
• Inhibitory antisense or double stranded oligonucleotides can additionally comprise at least one modified base moiety which is selected from the group including but not limited to 5-fluorouracil, 5-bromouracil , 5-chlorouracil , 5-iodouracil , hypoxanthine, xantine, 4-acetylcytosine,
• N6-isopentenyladenine 1-methylguanine, 1-methylinosine, 2 , 2-dimethylguanine, 2-methyladenine, 2-methylguanine, 3-methylcytosine, 5-methylcytosine, N6-adenine, 7-methylguanine , 5-methylaminomethyluracil , 5-methoxyaminomethyl-2-thiouracil, beta-D-mannosylqueosine, 5'-methoxycarboxymethyluracil, 5-methoxyuracil , 2-methylthio-N6-isopentenyladenine, uracil-5-oxyacetic acid (v) , wybutoxosine, pseudouracil , queosine, 2-thiocytosine, 5-methyl-2-thiouracil , 2-thiouracil , 4-thiouracil , 5-methyluracil, uracil-5-oxyacetic acid methylester, uracil- 5-oxyacetic acid (v) , 5-methyl-2
• the antisense oligonucleotide can also comprise at least one modified sugar moiety selected from the group including but not limited to arabinose, 2-fluoroarabinose, xylulose, and hexose .
• the antisense oligonucleotide will comprise at least one modified phosphate backbone selected from the group consisting of a phosphorothioate, a phosphorodithioate, a phosphoramidothioate, a phosphoramidate, a phosphordiamidate, a methylphosphonate, an alkyl phosphotriester, and a formacetal or analog thereof.
• the antisense oligonucleotide is an -anomeric oligonucleotide.
• An ⁇ -anomeric oligonucleotide forms specific double-stranded hybrids with complementary RNA in which, contrary to the usual ⁇ -units, the strands run parallel to each other (Gautier et al . , 1987, Nucl. Acids Res. 15:6625-6641).
• the oligonucleotide is a 2 '-0- methylribonucleotide ( Inoue et al . , 1987, Nucl. Acids Res. 15:6131-6148), or a chimeric RNA-DNA analogue (Inoue et al . ,
• Oligonucleotides of the invention can be synthesized by standard methods known in the art, e.g. by use of an automated DNA synthesizer (such as are commercially available from Biosearch, Applied Biosystems, etc.) .
• phosphorothioate oligonucleotides can be synthesized by the method of Stein et al . (1988, Nucl. Acids Res. 16:3209), and methylphosphonate oligonucleotides can be prepared by use of controlled pore glass polymer supports (Sarin et al . , 1988, Proc . Natl . Acad. Sci . U.S.A. 85:7448- 7451), etc.
• Low stringency conditions are well known to those of skill in the art, and will vary predictably depending on the specific organisms from which the library and the labeled sequences are derived. For guidance regarding such conditions see, for example, Sambrook et al . , 1989, Molecular Cloning, A Laboratory Manual (and periodic updates thereof) , Cold Springs Harbor Press, N.Y.; and Ausubel et al . , 1989, Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, Green Publishing Associates and Wiley Interscience, N.Y. Alternatively, suitably labeled NHP nucleotide probes can be used to screen a human genomic library using appropriately stringent conditions or by PCR.
• sequences derived from regions adjacent to the intron/exon boundaries of the human gene can be used to design primers for use in amplification assays to detect mutations within the exons , introns, splice sites (e.g., splice acceptor and/or donor sites), etc., that can be used in diagnostics and pharmacogenomics .
• a NHP sequence homolog can be isolated from nucleic acid from an organism of interest by performing PCR using two degenerate or "wobble" oligonucleotide primer pools designed on the basis of amino acid sequences within the NHP products disclosed herein.
• the template for the reaction may be total RNA, mRNA, and/or cDNA obtained by reverse transcription of mRNA prepared from, for example, human or non-human cell lines or tissue, such as prostate, rectum, colon, or adrenal gland, known or suspected to express an allele of a NHP sequence.
• the PCR product can be subcloned and sequenced to ensure that the amplified sequences represent the sequence of the desired NHP.
• the PCR fragment can then be used to isolate a full length cDNA clone by a variety of methods.
• the amplified fragment can be labeled and used to screen a cDNA library, such as a bacteriophage cDNA library.
• the labeled fragment can be used to isolate genomic clones via the screening of a genomic library.
• RNA can be isolated, following standard procedures, from an appropriate cellular or tissue source (i.e., one known, or suspected, to express NHP sequence, such as, for example, testis tissue) .
• a reverse transcription (RT) reaction can be performed on the RNA using an oligonucleotide primer specific for the most 5' end of the amplified fragment for the priming of first strand synthesis.
• the resulting RNA/DNA hybrid may then be "tailed" using a standard terminal transferase reaction, the hybrid may be digested with RNase H, and second strand synthesis may then be primed with a complementary primer.
• cDNA sequences upstream of the amplified fragment can be isolated.
• a cDNA encoding a mutant NHP sequence can be isolated, for example, by using PCR.
• the first cDNA strand may be synthesized by hybridizing an oligo-dT oligonucleotide to mRNA isolated from tissue known or suspected to be expressed in an individual putatively carrying a mutant NHP allele, and by extending the new strand with reverse transcriptase .
• the second strand of the cDNA is then synthesized using an oligonucleotide that hybridizes specifically to the 5' end of the normal sequence.
• the product is then amplified via PCR, optionally cloned into a suitable vector, and subjected to DNA sequence analysis through methods well known to those of skill in the art.
• DNA sequence analysis By comparing the DNA sequence of the mutant NHP allele to that of a corresponding normal NHP allele, the mutation (s) responsible for the loss or alteration of function of the mutant NHP sequence product can be ascertained.
• a genomic library can be constructed using DNA obtained from an individual suspected of or known to carry a mutant NHP allele (e.g., a person manifesting a NHP- associated phenotype such as, for example, immune disorders, obesity, high blood pressure, etc.), or a cDNA library can be constructed using RNA from a tissue known, or suspected, to express a mutant NHP allele.
• a normal NHP sequence, or any suitable fragment thereof, can then be labeled and used as a probe to identify the corresponding mutant NHP allele in such libraries.
• Clones containing mutant NHP sequence can then be purified and subjected to sequence analysis according to methods well known to those skilled in the art.
• an expression library can be constructed utilizing cDNA synthesized from, for example, RNA isolated from a tissue known, or suspected, to express a mutant NHP allele in an individual suspected of or known to carry such a mutant allele.
• gene products made by the putatively mutant tissue may be expressed and screened using standard antibody screening techniques in conjunction with antibodies raised against a normal NHP product, as described below.
• For screening techniques see, for example, Harlow, E. and Lane, eds . , 1988, "Antibodies: A Laboratory Manual", Cold Spring Harbor Press, Cold Spring Harbor.
• screening can be accomplished by screening with labeled NHP fusion proteins, such as, for example, alkaline phosphatase-NHP or NHP-alkaline phosphatase fusion proteins.
• labeled NHP fusion proteins such as, for example, alkaline phosphatase-NHP or NHP-alkaline phosphatase fusion proteins.
• polyclonal antibodies to a NHP are likely to cross-react with a corresponding mutant NHP sequence product.
• Library clones detected via their reaction with such labeled antibodies can be purified and subjected to sequence analysis according to methods well known in the art.
• the invention also encompasses (a) DNA vectors that contain any of the foregoing NHP coding sequences and/or their complements (i.e., antisense); (b) DNA expression vectors that contain any of the foregoing NHP coding sequences operatively associated with a regulatory element that directs the expression of the coding sequences (for example, baculo virus as described in U.S. Patent No.
• regulatory elements include, but are not limited to, inducible and non-inducible promoters, enhancers, operators and other elements known to those skilled in the art that drive and regulate expression.
• Such regulatory elements include but are not limited to the human cytomegalovirus (hCMV) immediate early gene, regulatable, viral elements (particularly retroviral LTR promoters) the early or late promoters of SV40 adenovirus, the lac system, the trp system, the TAC system, the TRC system, the major operator and promoter regions of phage lambda, the control regions of fd coat protein, the promoter for 3-phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK) , the promoters of acid phosphatase, and the promoters of the yeast ⁇ -mating factors .
• hCMV human cytomegalovirus
• V human cytomegalovirus
• viral elements particularly retroviral LTR promoters
• the early or late promoters of SV40 adenovirus the lac system, the trp system, the TAC system, the TRC system
• the major operator and promoter regions of phage lambda the control regions of fd coat protein
• NHP peptides or polypeptides are thought to be membrane associated
• expression systems can be engineered that produce soluble derivatives of a NHP (corresponding to a NHP extracellular and/or intracellular domains, or truncated polypeptides lacking one or more transmembrane domains) and/or NHP fusion protein products (especially NHP-Ig fusion proteins, i.e., fusions of a NHP domain, e.g., ECD, ⁇ TM to an IgFc) , NHP antibodies and anti-idiotypic antibodies (including Fab fragments) which can be used in therapeutic applications.
• NHP-Ig fusion proteins i.e., fusions of a NHP domain, e.g., ECD, ⁇ TM to an IgFc
• NHP antibodies and anti-idiotypic antibodies including Fab fragments
• the above expression systems are engineered to allow the desired peptide or polypeptide to be recovered from the culture media.
• a sequence roughly similar to a sequence present near the 3 ' region of the described ORF has been reported as a human secreted protein in gene 28 clone HLHSH36 so it remains possible that one or more regions or domains of the described protein circulates as a soluble molecule within the body.
• the present invention also encompasses antibodies and anti-idiotypic antibodies (including Fab fragments), antagonists and agonists of the NHP, as well as compounds or nucleotide constructs that inhibit expression of the NHP coding sequence (transcription factor inhibitors, antisense and ribozyme molecules, or gene or regulatory sequence replacement constructs) , or promote the expression of a NHP (e.g., expression constructs in which NHP coding sequences are operatively associated with expression control elements such as promoters, promoter/enhancers , etc.).
• the NHP or NHP peptides, NHP fusion proteins, NHP nucleotide sequences, antibodies, antagonists and agonists can be useful for the detection of mutant NHPs or inappropriately expressed NHPs for the diagnosis of disease.
• the NHP proteins or peptides, NHP fusion proteins, NHP nucleotide sequences, host cell expression systems, antibodies, antagonists, agonists and genetically engineered cells and animals can be used for screening for drugs (or high throughput screening of combinatorial libraries) effective in the treatment of the symptomatic or phenotypic manifestations of perturbing the normal function of NHP in the body.
• the use of engineered host cells and/or animals can offer an advantage in that such systems allow not only for the identification of compounds that bind to the endogenous receptor/ligand of a NHP, but can also identify compounds that trigger NHP-mediated activities or pathways.
• NHP products can be used as therapeutics.
• soluble derivatives such as NHP peptides /domains corresponding the NHP, NHP fusion protein products (especially NHP-Ig fusion proteins, i.e., fusions of a NHP, or a domain of a NHP, to an IgFc), NHP antibodies and anti-idiotypic antibodies (including Fab fragments), antagonists or agonists (including compounds that modulate or act on downstream targets in a NHP-mediated pathway) can be used to directly treat diseases or disorders.
• NHP fusion protein products especially NHP-Ig fusion proteins, i.e., fusions of a NHP, or a domain of a NHP, to an IgFc
• NHP antibodies and anti-idiotypic antibodies including Fab fragments
• antagonists or agonists including compounds that modulate or act on downstream targets in a NHP-mediated pathway
• nucleotide constructs encoding such NHP products can be used to genetically engineer host cells to express such products in vivo ; these genetically engineered cells function as "bioreactors " in the body delivering a continuous supply of a NHP, a NHP peptide, or a NHP fusion protein to the body.
• Nucleotide constructs encoding functional NHPs, mutant NHPs, as well as antisense and ribozyme molecules can also be used in "gene therapy” approaches for the modulation of NHP expression.
• the invention also encompasses pharmaceutical formulations and methods for treating biological disorders .
• Various aspects of the invention are described in greater detail in the subsections below. 5.1 THE NHP SEQUENCES
• the cDNA sequence and the corresponding deduced amino acid sequence of the described NHP are presented in the Sequence Listing.
• the NHP coding sequence was obtained from human cDNA libraries using probes and/or primers generated from human gene trapped sequence tags .
• the described ORF has a predicted hydrophobic leader sequence characteristic of membrane proceins .
• NHPs can be expressed in human tissues as well as gene trapped human cells .
• the described NHP shares significant similarity to a range of prostaglandin transporters . Given the physiological importance of prostaglandins, their transporters have been subject to intense scrutiny as exemplified in U.S. Patent No. 5,792,851 herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
• the described sequences have several features of note including the fact that the described ORF initiates with tandem ATG codons, and an alternative form of the transcript has been identified that deletes sequences 103-151 from SEQ ID NO : 3 (upstream from the tandem initiation codons) . Where translation initiates from the second of the two initiation codons, the resulting NHP will be one amino acid shorter (on the 5' end) than the NHP product described in SEQ ID NO : 2.
• NHPs polypeptides, peptide fragments, mutated, truncated, or deleted forms of the NHPs, and/or NHP fusion proteins can be prepared for a variety of uses. These uses include but are not limited to the generation of antibodies, as reagents in diagnostic assays, the identification of other cellular gene products related to a NHP, as reagents in assays for screening for compounds that can be as pharmaceutical reagents useful in the therapeutic treatment of mental, biological, or medical disorders and disease.
• the Sequence Listing discloses the amino acid sequences encoded by the described NHP coding sequence.
• the NHP has initiator methionines in DNA sequence contexts consistent with a translation initiation site.
• NHP amino acid sequences of the invention include the amino acid sequence presented in the Sequence Listing as well as analogues and derivatives thereof. Further, corresponding NHP homologues from other species are encompassed by the invention.
• any NHP protein encoded by the NHP nucleotide sequences described above are within the scope of the invention, as are any novel polynucleotide sequences encoding all or any novel portion of an amino acid sequence presented in the Sequence Listing.
• the degenerate nature of the genetic code is well known, and, accordingly, each amino acid presented in the Sequence Listing, is generically representative of the well known nucleic acid "triplet" codon, or in many cases codons, that can encode the amino acid.
• amino acid sequences presented in the Sequence Listing when taken together with the genetic code (see, for example, Table 4-1 at page 109 of "Molecular Cell Biology", 1986, J. Darnell et al . eds . , Scientific American Books, New York, NY, herein incorporated by reference) are generically representative of all the various permutations and combinations of nucleic acid sequences that can encode such amino acid sequences.
• the invention also encompasses proteins that are functionally equivalent to the NHPs encoded by the presently described nucleotide sequences as judged by any of a number of criteria, including, but not limited to, the ability to bind and cleave a substrate of a NHP, or the ability to effect an identical or complementary downstream pathway, or a change in cellular metabolism (e.g., proteolytic activity, ion flux, tyrosine phosphorylation, etc.) .
• Such functionally equivalent NHP proteins include, but are not limited to, additions or substitutions of amino acid residues within the amino acid sequence encoded by the NHP nucleotide sequences described above, but which result in a silent change, thus producing a functionally equivalent gene product.
• Nonpolar (hydrophobic) amino acids include alanine, leucine, isoleucine, valine, proline, phenylalanine, tryptophan, and methionine
• polar neutral amino acids include glycine, serine, threonine, cysteine, tyrosine, asparagine, and glutamine
• positively charged (basic) amino acids include arginine, lysine, and histidine
• NHP amino acids include aspartic acid and glutamic acid.
• a variety of host-expression vector systems can be used to express the NHP nucleotide sequences of the invention. Where, as in the present instance, the NHP peptide or polypeptide is thought to be a soluble or secreted molecule, the peptide or polypeptide can be recovered from the culture media.
• Such expression systems also encompass engineered host cells that express a NHP, or functional equivalent, in si tu . Purification or enrichment of a NHP from such expression systems can be accomplished using appropriate detergents and lipid micelles and methods well known to those skilled in the art.
• engineered host cells themselves may be used in situations where it is important not only to retain the structural and functional characteristics of the NHP, but to assess biological activity, e.g., in drug screening assays.
• the expression systems that may be used for purposes of the invention include but are not limited to microorganisms such as bacteria (e.g., E. coli , B .
• subtilis transformed with recombinant bacteriophage DNA, plasmid DNA or cosmid DNA expression vectors containing NHP nucleotide sequences; yeast (e.g., Saccharomyces , Pichia ) transformed with recombinant yeast expression vectors containing NHP nucleotide sequences; insect cell systems infected with recombinant virus expression vectors (e.g., baculovirus) containing NHP sequences; plant cell systems infected with recombinant virus expression vectors (e.g., cauliflower mosaic virus, CaMV; tobacco mosaic virus, TMV) or transformed with recombinant plasmid expression vectors (e.g., Ti plasmid) containing NHP nucleotide sequences; or mammalian cell systems (e.g., COS, CHO, BHK, 293, 3T3) harboring recombinant expression constructs containing promoters derived from the genome of mammalian cells (e.g., CHO
• a number of expression vectors may be advantageously selected depending upon the use intended for the NHP product being expressed. For example, when a large quantity of such a protein is to be produced for the generation of pharmaceutical compositions of or containing NHP, or for raising antibodies to NHP, vectors that direct the expression of high levels of fusion protein products that are readily purified may be desirable.
• vectors include, but are not limited, to the E. coli expression vector pUR278 (Ruther et al . , 1983, EMBO J.
• pGEX vectors may also be used to express foreign polypeptides as fusion proteins with gluta- thione S-transferase (GST) .
• fusion proteins are soluble and can easily be purified from lysed cells by adsorption to glutathione-agarose beads followed by elution in the presence of free glutathione.
• the PGEX vectors are designed to include thrombin or factor Xa protease cleavage sites so that the cloned target gene product can be released from the GST moiety.
• Autographa calif ornica nuclear polyhidrosis virus (AcNPV) is used as a vector to express foreign sequences .
• the virus grows in Spodoptera frugiperda cells.
• a NHP coding sequence may be cloned individually into non-essential regions (for example the polyhedrin gene) of the virus and placed under control of an AcNPV promoter (for example the polyhedrin promoter) .
• Successful insertion of NHP coding sequence will result in inactivation of the polyhedrin gene and production of non-occluded recombinant virus (i.e., virus lacking the proteinaceous coat coded for by the polyhedrin gene) .
• the NHP nucleotide sequence of interest may be ligated to an adenovirus transcription/ translation control complex, e.g., the late promoter and tripartite leader sequence. This chimeric gene may then be inserted in the adenovirus genome by in vitro or in vivo recombination.
• an adenovirus transcription/ translation control complex e.g., the late promoter and tripartite leader sequence.
• Insertion in a non-essential region of the viral genome will result in a recombinant virus that is viable and capable of expressing a NHP product in infected hosts (e.g., See Logan & Shenk, 1984, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 81:3655-3659).
• Specific initiation signals may also be required for efficient translation of inserted NHP nucleotide sequences. These signals include the ATG initiation codon and adjacent sequences. In cases where the entire NHP coding sequence or cDNA, including its own initiation codon and adjacent sequences, is inserted into the appropriate expression vector, no additional translational control signals may be needed.
• exogenous translational control signals including, perhaps, the ATG initiation codon, must be provided.
• the initiation codon must be in phase with the reading frame of the desired coding sequence to ensure translation of the entire insert.
• exogenous translational control signals and initiation codons can be of a variety of origins, both natural and synthetic. The efficiency of expression may be enhanced by the inclusion of appropriate transcription enhancer elements, transcription terminators, etc. (See Bittner et al . , 1987, Methods in Enzymol . 153:516-544).
• a host cell strain may be chosen that modulates the expression of the inserted sequences, or modifies and processes the gene product in the specific fashion desired. Such modifications (e.g., glycosylation) and processing (e.g., cleavage) of protein products may be important for the function of the protein.
• Different host cells have characteristic and specific mechanisms for the post-translational processing and modification of proteins and gene products. Appropriate cell lines or host systems can be chosen to ensure the correct modification and processing of the foreign protein expressed.
• eukaryotic host cells which possess the cellular machinery for proper processing of the primary transcript, glycosylation, and phosphorylation of the gene product may be used.
• mammalian host cells include, but are not limited to, CHO,
• VERO VERO, BHK, HeLa, COS, MDCK, 293, 3T3 , WI38, and in particular, human cell lines .
• cell lines which stably express the NHP sequences described above can be engineered.
• host cells can be transformed with DNA controlled by appropriate expression control elements (e.g., promoter, enhancer sequences, transcription terminators, polyadenylation sites, etc.), and a selectable marker.
• appropriate expression control elements e.g., promoter, enhancer sequences, transcription terminators, polyadenylation sites, etc.
• engineered cells may be allowed to grow for 1-2 days in an enriched media, and then are switched to a selective media.
• the selectable marker in the recombinant plasmid confers resistance to the selection and allows cells to stably integrate the plasmid into their chromosomes and grow to form foci which in turn can be cloned and expanded into cell lines.
• This method may advantageously be used to engineer cell lines which express the NHP product.
• Such engineered cell lines may be particularly useful in screening and evaluation of compounds that affect the endogenous activity of the NHP product .
• a number of selection systems may be used, including but not limited to the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (Wigler, et al .
• genes can be employed in tk ⁇ , hgprt or aprt " cells, respectively.
• antimetabolite resistance can be used as the basis of selection for the following genes: dhfr, which confers resistance to methotrexate (Wigler, et al . , 1980, Natl. Acad. Sci.
• any fusion protein can be readily purified by utilizing an antibody specific for the fusion protein being expressed.
• a system described by Janknecht et al allows for the ready purification of non-denatured fusion proteins expressed in human cell lines (Janknecht, et al . , 1991, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88:8972-8976).
• the gene of interest is subcloned into a vaccinia recombination plasmid such that the gene's open reading frame is translationally fused to an amino-terminal tag consisting of six histidine residues. Extracts from cells infected with recombinant vaccinia virus are loaded onto Ni 2+ ⁇ nitriloacetic acid-agarose columns and histidine-tagged proteins are selectively eluted with imidazole-containing buffers.
• Antibodies that specifically recognize one or more epitopes of a NHP, or epitopes of conserved variants of a NHP, or peptide fragments of a NHP are also encompassed by the invention.
• Such antibodies include but are not limited to polyclonal antibodies, monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), humanized or chimeric antibodies, single chain antibodies, Fab fragments, F(ab') 2 fragments, fragments produced by a Fab expression library, anti-idiotypic (anti-Id) antibodies, and epitope-binding fragments of any of the above.
• the antibodies of the invention may be used, for example, in the detection of NHP in a biological sample and may, therefore, be utilized as part of a diagnostic or prognostic technique whereby patients may be tested for abnormal amounts of NHP.
• Such antibodies may also be utilized in conjunction with, for example, compound screening schemes for the evaluation of the effect of test compounds on expression and/or activity of a NHP coding sequence product.
• such antibodies can be used in conjunction gene therapy to, for example, evaluate the normal and/or engineered NHP-expressing cells prior to their introduction into the patient.
• Such antibodies may additionally be used as a method for the inhibition of abnormal NHP activity.
• Such antibodies may, therefore, be utilized as part of treatment methods .
• various host animals may be immunized by injection with the NHP, an NHP peptide (e.g., one corresponding the a functional domain of an NHP), truncated NHP polypeptides (NHP in which one or more domains have been deleted) , functional equivalents of the NHP or mutated variant of the NHP.
• Such host animals may include but are not limited to pigs, rabbits, mice, goats, and rats, to name but a few.
• adjuvants may be used to increase the immunological response, depending on the host species, including but not limited to Freund's adjuvant (complete and incomplete) , mineral salts such as aluminum hydroxide or aluminum phosphate, surface active substances such as lysolecithin, pluronic polyols, polyanions, peptides, oil emulsions, and potentially useful human adjuvants such as BCG (bacille Calmette-Guerin) and Corynebacterium parvum .
• BCG Bacille Calmette-Guerin
• Corynebacterium parvum Alternatively, the immune response could be enhanced by combination and or coupling with molecules such as keyhole limpet hemocyanin, tetanus toxoid, diptheria toxoid, ovalbumin, cholera toxoid or fragments thereof.
• Polyclonal antibodies are heterogeneous populations of antibody molecules derived from the sera of the immunized animals.
• Monoclonal antibodies which are homogeneous populations of antibodies to a particular antigen, can be obtained by any technique which provides for the production of antibody molecules by continuous cell lines in culture. These include, but are not limited to, the hybridoma technique of Kohler and Milstein, (1975, Nature 256:495-497; and U.S. Patent No. 4,376,110), the human B-cell hybridoma technique (Kosbor et al . , 1983, Immunology Today 4:72; Cole et al . , 1983, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 80:2026-2030), and the EBV-hybridoma technique (Cole et al . , 1985, Monoclonal Antibodies And Cancer Therapy, Alan R. Liss, Inc., pp. 77-96) . Such antibodies may be of any immunoglobulin class including IgG, IgM, IgE, IgA,
• the hybridoma producing the mAb of this invention may be cultivated in vitro or in vivo. Production of high titers of mAbs in vivo makes this the presently preferred method of production.
• techniques developed for the production of "chimeric antibodies" (Morrison et al . , 1984, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 81:6851-6855; Neuberger et al . , 1984, Nature, 312:604-608; Takeda et al .
• a chimeric antibody is a molecule in which different portions are derived from different animal species, such as those having a variable region derived from a murine mAb and a human immunoglobulin constant region.
• Single chain antibodies are formed by linking the heavy and light chain fragments of the Fv region via an amino acid bridge, resulting in a single chain polypeptide.
• Antibody fragments which recognize specific epitopes may be generated by known techniques.
• such fragments include, but are not limited to: the F(ab') 2 fragments which can be produced by pepsin digestion of the antibody molecule and the Fab fragments which can be generated by reducing the disulfide bridges of the F(ab') 2 fragments.
• Fab expression libraries may be constructed (Huse et al . , 1989, Science, 246:1275-1281) to allow rapid and easy identification of monoclonal Fab fragments with the desired specificity.
• Antibodies to NHP can, in turn, be utilized to generate anti-idiotype antibodies that "mimic" the NHP, using techniques well known to those skilled in the art.
• antibodies which bind to a NHP domain and competitively inhibit the binding of NHP to its cognate receptor can be used to generate anti-idiotypes that "mimic" the NHP and, therefore, bind, activate, or neutralize a NHP, NHP receptor, or NHP ligand.
• anti-idiotypic antibodies or Fab fragments of such anti-idiotypes can be used in therapeutic regimens involving a NHP mediated pathway.

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