JP2002516078A - acpS - Google Patents

Abstract

  (57) [Summary] The invention provides acpS polypeptides and polynucleotides encoding acpS polypeptides and methods of producing such polypeptides by recombinant techniques. Further, there is provided a method of utilizing an acpS polypeptide to screen for antimicrobial compounds.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to newly identified polynucleotides and polypeptides, their production and use, and variants, agonists and antagonists thereof, and their uses. In particular, the present invention relates to polynucleotides and polypeptides of the acpS family and variants thereof (hereinafter, referred to as "acpS", "acpS polynucleotide", and sometimes "acpS polypeptide").

BACKGROUND ART [0002] Streptococci are, for example, otitis media, conjunctivitis, pneumonia,
It is known to cause several types of diseases in humans, including bacteremia, meningitis, sinusitis, pleural pyometra and endocarditis, especially meningitis such as, for example, cerebrospinal fluid infection. Form a medically important microbial genus. Since more than 100 years have passed since its isolation, Streptococcus pneumoniae
moniae) is one of the more closely studied microorganisms. For example, much of the early recognition that DNA is in fact genetic material uses this microorganism,
Estimated in Griffith's study and in Avery, Macleod and McCarty's study. Despite the vast amount of research using S. numoniae, many problems with the toxicity of this microorganism still remain. It is particularly preferred to utilize Streptococcus genes and gene products as targets for the development of antibiotics.

[0003] The frequency of Streptococcus pneumoniae infections has increased dramatically over the past 20-30 years. This has been attributed to the emergence of multiple antibiotic resistant strains and an increasing population with a compromised immune system. It is no longer uncommon to isolate Streptococcus pneumoniae strains that are resistant to some or all of the standard antibiotics. This phenomenon creates inappropriate medical requirements and demands for new antimicrobial agents, vaccines, drug screening methods and diagnostic tests for this organism.

[0004] Moreover, drug discovery methods are currently known as "functional genetics,"
It is undergoing radical reform to include high-throughput genomic or gene-based biology. This method is replacing earlier approaches and other methods based on "positional cloning". Functional genetics relies heavily on many currently available molecular biological databases as well as various sources of biological information to identify potentially problematic gene sequences from other sources. .
There is still a need to identify and characterize additional genes and other polynucleotide sequences and their related polypeptides as targets for drug discovery.

It is apparent that there is a need for polynucleotides and polypeptides, such as the acpS embodiments of the present invention, which have the advantage, inter alia, of being useful for screening compounds for antimicrobial activity. Such factors are also useful in determining their role in the pathogenesis of infection, dysfunction and disease. There is also a need to identify and characterize such factors and their antagonists and agonists in order to find ways to prevent, ameliorate or cure infections, dysfunctions and diseases.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0006] The present invention relates to acpS, specifically acpS polypeptides and polynucleotides, recombinants, and methods for their production. In another aspect, the present invention relates to methods of using such polypeptides and polynucleotides, including, inter alia, treating microorganismal diseases. In a further aspect, the present invention relates to methods for identifying agonists and antagonists using the materials provided by the present invention, and for treating infections by microorganisms and conditions associated with such infections using the identified agonist or antagonist compounds. In a further aspect, the present invention relates to diagnostic assays for the detection of infection by microorganisms and the symptoms associated with such infection, for example, assays for the detection of acpS expression or activity. Various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the disclosed invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following description and reading other portions of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION As described in more detail below, the present invention relates to acpS polypeptides and polynucleotides. In particular, the invention relates to H. pylori a
The present invention relates to polypeptides and polynucleotides of acpS of Streptococcus pneumoniae (Staphylococcus aureus) related by amino acid sequence homology to the cpS polypeptide. In particular, the present invention provides an ac having the nucleotide and amino acid sequences shown in Table 1 as SEQ ID NO: 1 and SEQ ID NO: 2, respectively.
Regarding pS. Those of skill in the art will recognize that such sequences are generally useful for use in polynucleotides, including ribopolynucleotides,
It should be noted that the sequence shown in the sequence listing as "DNA" represents a specific example of the present invention.

Table 1 AcpS polynucleotide and polypeptide sequences

(A) Streptococcus pneumoniae acpS polynucleotide sequence [SEQ ID NO: 1] 5′-ATGATAGTTGGACACGGAATTGACATCGAAGAATTGGCTTCGATAGAAAGCGCAGTTACACGACATGAA
GGATTTGCTAAGCGTGTACTGACCGCTCAGGAAATGGAGCGCTTCACCAGTCTCAAAGGACGCAGGCAAATA
GAATATTTAGCTGGTCGCTGGTCGGCTAAGGAGGCCTTTTCCAAGGCTATGGGAACGGGCATTAGCAAGCTC
GGTTTTCAGGATTTGGAAGTCTTGAAC AATGAACGTGGGGCGCCTTATTTTAGTCAGGCACCATTTTCAGGAAAGATTTGGCTGTCTATCAGCCACACC
GATCAGTTTGTGACAGCCAGTGTCATTTTGGAGGAAAATCATGAAAGCTAG-3 '

(B) Streptococcus pneumoniae acpS polypeptide sequence deduced from the polynucleotide sequences in this table [SEQ ID NO: 2] NH ₂ -MIVGHGIDIEELASIESAVTRHEGFAKRVLTAQEMERFTSLKGRRQIEYLAGRWSAKEAFSKAMGTGI
SKLGFQDLEVLNNERGAPYFSQAPFSGKIWLSISHTDQFVTASVILEENHES * -COOH

Deposited Material The deposited strain, including Streptococcus pneumoniae strain 0100993, was
NCIMB contract with the National Collection of Industrial and Marine Bacterial Limited (March 23rd, Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, April 21) Deposited under number 40794. The deposited strain was named Streptococcus pneumoniae 0100993 at the time of deposit. Similarly, 199
On April 17, 2006, Streptococcus nyumoniae in E. coli 010009
The 93 DNA library was deposited with NCIMB under accession number 40800. The S. pneumoniae deposited strain is referred to herein as the "deposited strain" or "DNA of the deposited strain."

[0012] The deposited strain contains the full length acpS gene. The sequence of the polynucleotide contained in the deposited strain, as well as the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide encoded thereby, will dominate in any discrepancy with the sequence description herein. Deposits of the deposited strains are made under the terms of the Budapest Treaty on International Recognition of Microbial Deposits for Patent Procedure. Once the patent is issued, the deposited strain will ultimately be sold without any restrictions or conditions. Deposited strains are provided only for the convenience of those skilled in the art,
It does not acknowledge that a deposit is an enablement requirement, as required under U.S.C. 112.

A license is required to produce, use or sell the deposited strain and compounds derived therefrom, but such license is not granted here. One embodiment of the present invention relates to Streptococcus pneumoniae 01 contained in the deposited strain.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an isolated nucleic acid molecule encoding a mature polypeptide that can be expressed by the strain 00993. Furthermore, the present invention relates to the acp of DNA and RNA in the deposited strain.
Provided are the S polynucleotide sequence and the amino acid sequence encoded thereby. The present invention also provides an acpS polypeptide sequence isolated from the deposited strain and a polynucleotide sequence derived therefrom.

Polypeptides Substantially, the acpS polypeptides of the present invention are phylogenetically related to other acyl carrier protein synthase family proteins. In one aspect of the invention, a Streptococcus pneumoniae polypeptide (referred to herein as acpS and acpS polypeptide), and biologically, diagnostically, prophylactically, clinically or therapeutically useful variants thereof, and There is provided a composition comprising: A particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention is a variant of the acpS polypeptide encoded by the naturally occurring allele of the acpS gene.

Further, the present invention relates to an isolated polypeptide which is: (a) at least 95% identity, most preferably at least 97-99%, to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 over the entire length of SEQ ID NO: 2. A polypeptide comprising or consisting of an amino acid sequence having or entirely the same as SEQ ID NO: 1; (b) at least 95% identity to SEQ ID NO: 1 over the entire length of SEQ ID NO: 1, most preferably at least 97% A polypeptide encoded by an isolated polynucleotide comprising or consisting of a polynucleotide sequence having -99% identity or being completely identical; (c) the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 over the entire length of SEQ ID NO: 2 Has at least 95% identity, most preferably at least 97-99% identity to Provided is a polypeptide encoded by an isolated polynucleotide comprising or consisting of a polynucleotide sequence that encodes a polypeptide that is or is completely identical.

The polypeptides of the present invention include the polypeptides of Table 1 [SEQ ID NO: 2] (especially mature polypeptides) and polypeptides and fragments, in particular, acpS
And polypeptides and fragments having at least 95% identity to the polypeptide of Table 1 [SEQ ID NO: 1] or a corresponding portion thereof, and further encompasses portions of such polypeptides, Such portions of the polypeptide will include at least 30 amino acids, more preferably, at least 50 amino acids.

The present invention also provides X- (R ₁ ) _m- (R ₂ )-(R ₃ ) _n -Y wherein X at the amino terminus is hydrogen or metal, or a modified polypeptide herein. The other residues described are carboxyl-terminal Y is hydrogen or metal, or other residues described herein for modified polypeptides, and R ₁ and R ₃ are any amino acid residues Or a modified amino acid residue,
m is an integer of 1 to 1000 or 0, n is an integer of 1 to 1000 or 0, and R ₂ represents the amino acid sequence of the present invention, particularly the amino acid sequence of Table 1 or a modified form thereof. Polypeptides. In the above formulas, R ₂ is bonded to R ₁ amino terminal residues at its left, its carboxy terminal residue is directed to bind to R ₃ in the right. When m and / or n is greater than 1, the chain of amino acid residues represented by either R ₁ or R ₃ may be either a heteropolymer or a homopolymer, with a heteropolymer being preferred. Another preferred embodiment of the present invention is where m is an integer between 1 and 50, 100 or 500 and n is between 1 and 50.
, 100 or 500. Most preferably, the polypeptides of the present invention are derived from Streptococcus pneumoniae, but are also preferably derived from other organisms of the same taxonomic genus. Further, the polypeptide of the present invention may be obtained, for example, from the same family or order.

A fragment is a variant polypeptide having an amino acid sequence that entirely is the same, but not all, of the amino acid sequence of the above-described polypeptides. ac
Like pS polypeptides, fragments are “free-standing”
Or they may be comprised in one part or region, most preferably a single contiguous region, a larger polypeptide forming a single larger polypeptide. Preferred fragments are truncated poly- mers having some of their variants, such as, for example, the amino acid sequence of Table 1 [SEQ ID NO: 2] or a contiguous series of residues including the amino- and / or carboxyl-terminal amino acid sequences. And peptides. Also preferred are host cells, especially degraded forms of the polypeptides of the invention produced by or in Streptococcus pneumoniae. In addition, alpha helices and alpha helix forming regions, beta sheets and beta sheet forming regions, turns and turn forming regions, coils and coil forming regions, hydrophilic regions, hydrophobic regions, alpha amphiphilic regions, beta amphiphilic regions, flexible regions , Such as fragments comprising a surface forming region, a substrate binding region, and a high antigen index region,
Fragments characterized by structural or functional attributes are also preferred fragments.

A further preferred fragment is an isolated polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 15, 20, 30, 40, 50 or 100 contiguous amino acids from the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2, or an amino acid of SEQ ID NO: 2 At least 15, 20, 30, 40, 50 or 100 truncated or deleted from the sequence
Includes an isolated polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence having three consecutive amino acids. Variants that are fragments of the polypeptides of the present invention can be used for the production of the corresponding full-length polypeptides by peptide synthesis methods. Thus, these variants can be used as intermediates for producing the full-length polypeptides of the invention.

Polynucleotides It is one object of the present invention to provide a polynucleotide encoding an acpS polypeptide, and in particular, a polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide designated herein as acpS. is there. In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the polynucleotide comprises a region encoding the acpS polypeptide comprising the sequence shown in Table 1 (SEQ ID NO: 1), including the full length gene, or a variant thereof. Applicants believe that this full-length gene is essential for the growth and / or survival of organisms carrying the polypeptide (eg, Streptococcus pneumoniae).

As a further aspect of the present invention there is provided an isolated nucleic acid molecule encoding and / or expressing an acpS polypeptide and polynucleotide, in particular a Streptococcus pneumoniae acpS polypeptide and polynucleotide, wherein the nucleic acid molecule comprises For example, unprocessed RNA, ribozyme RNA, mRNA
, CDNA, genomic DNA, B- and Z-DNA. Further embodiments of the present invention include biologically, diagnostically, prophylactically, clinically or therapeutically useful polynucleotides and polypeptides, and variants thereof, and compositions comprising them. Another embodiment of the present invention relates to an isolated polynucleotide, comprising at least one full-length gene, encoding an acpS polypeptide having the deduced amino acid sequence of Table 1 [SEQ ID NO: 2], a closely related polynucleotide thereof, and Regarding those variants. In another particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, an a from Streptococcus pneumoniae comprising or consisting of the amino acid sequence of Table 1 (SEQ ID NO: 2).
A cpS polypeptide or a variant thereof is provided.

Using the information herein, such as the polynucleotide sequence shown in Table 1 [SEQ ID NO: 1], using Streptococcus pneumoniae 0100993 cells as starting material, cloning chromosomal DNA fragments from bacteria, Using standard cloning and screening methods to determine and subsequently obtain a full-length clone, a polynucleotide of the invention encoding an acpS polypeptide can be obtained. For example, to obtain a polynucleotide sequence of the present invention, such as the sequence shown in Table 1 [SEQ ID NO: 1], typically the chromosomal DNA of Streptococcus pneumoniae 0100993 in Escherichia coli or other suitable host is obtained. The library of clones is probed with a radiolabeled oligonucleotide derived from the subsequence, preferably a 17-mer or longer oligonucleotide. The clones having the same DNA as the probe can then be distinguished using stringent hybridization conditions. By sequencing individual clones identified by hybridizing with sequencing primers designed from the original polypeptide or polynucleotide sequence, the polynucleotide sequence is extended in both directions to reduce the full length gene sequence. It is possible to decide. Conveniently, such sequencing is performed using denatured double-stranded DNA prepared from a plasmid clone. Suitable techniques are described in Maniatis, T., Fritsch, EF and Sambrook et al., MOLEC.
ULAR CLONING: A LABORATORY MANUAL, 2nd Ed .; Cold Spring Harbor Laborator
y Press, Cold Spring Harbor, New York (1989) (see, inter alia, screening by hybridization 1.90 and sequencing of denatured double-stranded DNA templates 13.70). Genomic DNA sequencing may be performed directly to obtain the full-length gene sequence. For example, the polynucleotide shown in Table 1 [SEQ ID NO: 1] was found in a DNA library derived from Streptococcus pneumoniae 0100993.

In addition, the DNA sequence of Table 1 [SEQ ID NO: 1] has approximately the same number of amino acid residues as shown in Table 1 [SEQ ID NO: 2] and is calculated from the molecular weight of amino acid residues known to those skilled in the art. It has an open reading frame that encodes a protein with a possible putative molecular weight. The polynucleotide of SEQ ID NO: 1 between nucleotide number 54 of SEQ ID NO: 1 and the stop codon starting at nucleotide number 771 encodes the polypeptide of SEQ ID NO: 2.

In a further aspect, the invention provides (a) at least 95% identity to SEQ ID NO: 1 over the entire length of SEQ ID NO: 1, or the entire length of the portion of SEQ ID NO: 1 encoding SEQ ID NO: 2; Even more preferably, a polynucleotide sequence that has at least 97-99% identity or is completely identical; (b) at least 95% identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 over the entire length of SEQ ID NO: 2;
Even more preferably, there is provided an isolated polynucleotide comprising or consisting of a polynucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide having at least 97-99% or just 100% identity:

A polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide of the present invention, including homologs and orthologs from species other than Streptococcus pneumoniae, may contain the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 or a fragment thereof under stringent hybridization conditions. A suitable library may be screened using a labeled or detectable probe comprising or consisting of the same, and then isolating a full-length gene and / or genomic clone comprising the polynucleotide sequence.

The present invention provides a polynucleotide sequence identical over its entire length to the coding sequence (open reading frame) of Table 1 [SEQ ID NO: 1].
The present invention also relates to the coding sequence for the mature polypeptide or fragment thereof as well as the reading sequence in the reading frame having other coding sequences, such as coding sequences for leader or secretory sequences, pre, pro or prepro protein sequences. A coding sequence for a polypeptide or fragment is provided. Polynucleotides also include, for example, sequences that are transcribed but not translated, termination signals (eg, rho-dependent and rho-independent termination signals),
At least one non-coding 5 'and 3' such as a ribosome binding site, Kozak sequence, mRNA stabilizing sequence, intron, polyadenylation signal
Non-coding sequences, including but not limited to sequences.
Also, the polynucleotide sequence may include additional coding sequences that encode additional amino acids. For example, it can encode a marker sequence that facilitates purification of the fusion polypeptide. In certain embodiments of the invention, the marker sequence is provided in a pQE vector (Qiagen, Inc.), Gentz et al., Pr.
USA. (1989) 86: 821-824.
Hex-histidine peptide or HA peptide tag (Wilson et al., Ce
II, 37: 767 (1984)), which are useful in the purification of polypeptide sequences fused thereto. Polynucleotides of the present invention include, but are not limited to, polynucleotides consisting of structural genes and naturally associated sequences that regulate gene expression.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention is a polynucleotide having from nucleotide 1 shown in SEQ ID NO: 1 of Table 1 to a nucleotide immediately upstream of nucleotide 361 or a nucleotide containing the nucleotide, both of which are acpS polypeptides Code.

The present invention also provides a compound represented by the formula: X- (R ₁ ) _m- (R ₂ )-(R ₃ ) _n -Y wherein X at the 5 ′ end of the molecule is hydrogen or metal, or a modified nucleotide residue. Group or forms a covalent bond with Y, and Y at the 3 ′ end of the molecule is hydrogen or a metal, or a modified nucleotide residue, or forms a covalent bond with X. R ₁ and R ₃ are each independently any nucleic acid residue or modified nucleic acid residue, m is an integer of 1 to 3000 or 0, and n is 1 to 30
Wherein R ₂ represents a nucleic acid sequence or modified nucleic acid sequence of the present invention, in particular, a nucleic acid sequence selected from Table 1 or a modified nucleic acid sequence thereof. Nucleotides. In the above described formula of the polynucleotide, R ₂ is 5 'end nucleic acid residue is bound to R ₁ at its left, its 3' end nucleic acid residue is oriented to bind to R ₃ in the right. When m and / or n is greater than 1, the chain of nucleic acid residues represented by either R ₁ and / or R ₂ may be either a heteropolymer or a homopolymer, with a heteropolymer being preferred. In a preferred embodiment, when X and Y together form a covalent bond, the polynucleotide of the above formula is a closed circular polynucleotide, wherein the formula is the first of which the second strand has complementarity. May be a double-stranded polynucleotide that exhibits In another embodiment, m
And / or n is an integer between 1 and 1000. In another preferred embodiment of the invention, m is an integer between 1 and 50, 100 or 500 and n is an integer between 1 and 50, 100 or 500.

Most preferably, the polynucleotide of the present invention is derived from Streptococcus pneumoniae, but is also preferably obtained from other organisms of the same genus in taxonomic terms. Also, for example, the polynucleotides of the present invention may be obtained from organisms of the same taxonomic family or order. As used herein, the term "polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide" refers to a polypeptide of the present invention, particularly a bacterial polypeptide, and more particularly, Table 1 [
Streptococcus nymonie a having the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 2]
Includes polynucleotides containing sequences encoding cpS polypeptides. The term includes a single contiguous or non-contiguous region encoding the polypeptide (e.g., integrated phage, integrated insert sequence, integrated vector sequence), with additional regions that may include coding and / or non-coding sequences. , Integrated transposon sequences, or polynucleotides that have been interrupted by RNA editing or genomic DNA reorganization). The invention further relates to variants of the polynucleotides described herein that encode variants of the polypeptide having the deduced amino acid sequence of Table 1 [SEQ ID NO: 2].
Variants that are fragments of the polynucleotides of the invention can be used for the synthesis of full-length polynucleotides of the invention.

Further preferred embodiments include several, a few, 5-10, 1-5, 1-3, 2 or 1 or 0 amino acid residues substituted or modified in any combination.
A polynucleotide encoding an acpS variant having the amino acid sequence of the acpS polypeptide of Table 1 [SEQ ID NO: 2] deleted or added. Particularly preferred are silent substitutions, additions and deletions, which do not alter the properties and activities of the acpS polypeptide.

[0031] Further preferred embodiments of the present invention include polynucleotides having at least 95% or 97% identity over the entire length of a polynucleotide encoding an acpS polypeptide having the amino acid sequence shown in Table 1 [SEQ ID NO: 2]; A polynucleotide that is complementary to such a polynucleotide. The most preferred are
Particularly preferred are those that have at least 95% identity over their entire length to a polynucleotide encoding an acpS polypeptide. Furthermore, among those having at least 95% identity, those having at least 97% identity are more preferred, and those with at least 98% and at least 99% identity are particularly preferred. Those with at least 99% identity are more preferred.

A preferred embodiment is a polynucleotide that encodes a polypeptide that retains substantially the same biological function or activity as the mature polypeptide encoded by the DNA in Table 1 [SEQ ID NO: 1]. According to certain preferred embodiments of the present invention, there are provided polynucleotides that hybridize under particularly stringent conditions, for example, to the acpS polynucleotide sequence, such as the polynucleotides in Table 1.

[0033] The invention further relates to polynucleotides that hybridize to the polynucleotide sequences described herein above. In this regard, the invention particularly relates to polynucleotides that hybridize under stringent conditions to the polynucleotides described herein above. As used herein, the terms "stringent conditions" and "stringent hybridization conditions" refer to hybridization occurring only when there is at least 95%, preferably at least 97%, identity between the sequences. Means Examples of stringent hybridization conditions include 50% formamide, 5 × SSC (150 mM NaCl, 15 mM trisodium citrate),
0 mM sodium phosphate (pH 7.6), 5x Denhardt's solution,
Incubation overnight at 42 ° C. in a solution containing 10% dextran sulfate and 20 μg / ml denatured cut salmon sperm DNA, followed by washing the hybridization support with 0.1 × SSC (about 65 ° C.). Hybridization and washing conditions are known and are described in Sambrook et al., MOLECULAR CLONING: A LAB.
ORATORY MANUAL, Second Edition, Cold Spring Harbor, NY (1989), especially in Chapter 11. Solution hybridization may be used with the polynucleotide sequences provided by the present invention.

The present invention relates to a method for preparing a suitable library containing the complete gene of the polynucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 1 under strict hybridization conditions, using a probe having the sequence of the polynucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 1 or a probe thereof. Provided is a polynucleotide comprising or consisting of a polynucleotide sequence obtainable by screening with a fragment and isolating the polynucleotide sequence.
Fragments useful for obtaining such polynucleotides include, for example, probes and primers well described elsewhere herein.

As further described herein for the analysis of the polynucleotides of the present invention, for example, the polynucleotides of the present invention as described above
And used as a hybridization probe for genomic DNA,
Full-length cDNA and genomic clones encoding cpS can be isolated, and cDNA and genomic clones of other genes with high identity, particularly high sequence similarity, to the acpS gene can be isolated. Such probes will generally comprise at least 15 nucleotide residues or base pairs. Preferably, such probes consist of at least 30 bases and may have at least 50 nucleotide residues or base pairs. Particularly preferred probes have at least 20 nucleotide residues or base pairs, and no more than 30 nucleotide residues or base pairs. The coding region of the acpS gene can be isolated by screening using the DNA sequence of Table 1 (SEQ ID NO: 1) to synthesize an oligonucleotide probe. A cDNA, genomic DNA or mRNA library is then screened using a labeled oligonucleotide having a sequence complementary to the sequence of the gene of the invention to determine which members of the library will hybridize to the probe.

There are several methods available and well known to those skilled in the art for obtaining full-length DNA or elongating short DNA, such as rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) (eg, Frohman Et al., PNAS USA 85, 8998-9002 (1
988)). Marathon ^™ method (Clontech Labora
tories Inc.), for example, a longer cDN
Making the search for A significantly easier. In the Marathon ^™ method, cDNA is prepared from mRNA extracted from a selected tissue, and an “adapter” sequence is ligated to each end. Nucleic acid amplification (PCR) is then performed using gene-specific and adapter-specific oligonucleotide primers to amplify the "lost" 5 'end of the DNA. Then, "nested" primers, ie, primers designed to anneal to a range of amplification products (typically adapter-specific primers that anneal to an additional 3 'in the adapter sequence, as well as those in the selected gene sequence) The PCR reaction is repeated with an additional 5'-annealed gene-specific primer). The product of this reaction is then analyzed by DNA sequencing, and then the product is directly linked to the DNA present to obtain the complete sequence, or using the new sequence information for the 5 'primer design. By performing separate full-length PCR, a full-length DNA is constructed.

The polynucleotides and polypeptides of the present invention, as further described herein with respect to polynucleotide analysis, for example, as research reagents and materials for the discovery of treatment and diagnosis for diseases, especially human diseases. Can be used. The polynucleotide of the present invention, which is an oligonucleotide derived from the sequence of Table 1 (SEQ ID NO: 1 or 2) can be used in the method described herein, but is preferably P
Used in CRs, it is determined whether the polynucleotides identified herein are transcribed in bacteria in whole or in part in infected tissues. Such sequences are also useful in diagnosing the stage and type of infection reached by the pathogen. The present invention also relates to polypeptides wherein additional amino or carboxy terminal amino acids are added to the mature protein or amino acids are added inside the mature polypeptide (eg, where the mature form has one or more polypeptide chains). An encoding polynucleotide is provided. Such sequences may, among other things, play a role in the processing of the protein from the precursor to the mature form, carry the protein, increase or decrease the half-life of the protein, or manipulate the protein for analysis or production. Can be facilitated. As is common in vivo, the added amino acids are processed away from the mature protein by cellular enzymes.

[0038] For each polynucleotide and all polynucleotides of the present invention, complementary polynucleotides are provided. It is preferred that these complementary polynucleotides be sufficiently complementary to each polynucleotide that is complementary. A precursor protein having a mature form of the polypeptide fused to one or more prosequences may be an inactive form of the polypeptide. When the prosequence is removed from such an inactive precursor, it is generally activated. Some or all of the prosequence can be removed prior to activation. Generally, such precursors are called proproteins.

In short, the polynucleotide of the present invention is a mature protein, a mature protein to which a leader sequence is added (also referred to as a preprotein), a precursor of a mature protein having one or more prosequences which are not the leader sequence of the preprotein. Body, or leader sequence, and, in general,
It encodes a preproprotein that is a precursor of a proprotein having one or more prosequences that are removed during a processing step that produces an active mature form of the polypeptide.

Vectors, Host Cells, Expression Systems The present invention also relates to vectors containing the polynucleotides of the present invention, host cells genetically engineered with the vectors of the present invention, and the production of polypeptides of the present invention by recombinant techniques. Further, such a protein can be produced using a cell-free translation system and RNA derived from the DNA construct of the present invention. The recombinant polypeptides of the present invention may be produced from genetically engineered host cells containing expression systems by methods well known to those skilled in the art. Thus, in a further aspect, the present invention relates to expression systems comprising the polynucleotides of the invention, host cells engineered with such expression systems, and the production of polypeptides of the invention by recombinant methods.

For recombinant production, host cells can be genetically engineered to incorporate an expression system or a portion thereof, or a polynucleotide of the present invention. Introduction of a polynucleotide into a host cell can be performed by calcium phosphate transfection, DEAE-
Davis et al., BASIC METHODS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (1986) and Sambroo, such as dextran-mediated transfection, transfection, microinjection, cationic lipid-mediated transfection, electroporation, transduction, scrape loading, ballistic introduction and infection.
k et al., MOLECULAR CLONING: A LABORATORY MANUAL, 2nd Ed. Cold Spring Harbor
Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, NY (1989), can be performed by methods described in several standard laboratory manuals.

Representative examples of suitable hosts include streptococcus, staphyl
ococcus), enterococcus, E. coli, streptomyces, cyanpobacteria, Bacillus s.
ubtilis) and Streptococcus pneumoniae
Bacterial cells such as yeast, Kluveromyces, Saccharomyces, basidiomycetes, Candida albicans and Aspergillus; Drosophila (D)
rosophila) insect cells such as S2 and Spodoptera Sf9 cells; CH
Animal cells such as O, COS, HeLa, C127, 3T3, BHK, 293, CV-1 and Bowes melanoma cells; and plant cells such as gymnosperms or angiosperms.

A wide variety of expression systems can be used to produce the polypeptides of the present invention. Such vectors are, inter alia, chromosomal, episomal and viral derived vectors, such as bacterial plasmid derived, bacteriophage derived, transposon derived, yeast episomal derived, insertion element derived, yeast chromosomal element derived, baculovirus, papovavirus such as SV40, vaccinia Viruses, adenoviruses, chicken poxviruses, pseudorabies virus, vectors derived from viruses such as picornaviruses and retroviruses, and combinations thereof such as vectors derived from plasmids such as cosmids and phagemids and genetic factors of bacteriophage. And vectors derived therefrom. Expression system constructs may have regulatory regions that control as well as cause expression. Generally, systems or vectors suitable for maintaining, amplifying or expressing the polynucleotide in the host and / or expressing the polypeptide may be used for expression in this regard. Suitable DNA sequences can be obtained, for example, from Sambrook et al., MOLECULAR CLONING.
, A LABORATORY MANUAL (supra), may be inserted into the expression system by any of a variety of well-known conventional techniques.

In a recombinant eukaryotic expression system, an appropriate secretion signal may be inserted into the expressed polypeptide to secrete the translated protein into the endoplasmic reticulum lumen, periplasmic space or extracellular environment. . These signals may be unique to the polypeptide or may be heterologous signals. The polypeptide of the present invention may be prepared by ammonium sulfate or ethanol precipitation, acid extraction,
Can be recovered and purified from recombinant cell culture by well-known methods, including anion or cation exchange chromatography, phosphocellulose chromatography, hydrophobic interaction chromatography, affinity chromatography, hydroxylapatite chromatography and lectin chromatography. . Most preferably, high quality liquid chromatography is used for purification. If the polypeptide denatures during isolation and / or purification, it can be reconstituted into its active conformation using well known methods for regenerating proteins.

Diagnostic, Prognostic, Serotyping and Mutation Assays The present invention also relates to the use of the acpS polynucleotides and polypeptides of the present invention for use as diagnostic reagents. Detection of acpS polynucleotides and / or polypeptides in eukaryotes, especially mammals, and especially humans,
It will provide a method for diagnosing disease, determining the stage of disease, or regarding the response of an infectious organism to a drug. Eukaryotic organisms, particularly mammals, and especially humans, that are infected or potentially infected with an organism containing the acpS gene or protein can be isolated at the nucleic acid or amino acid level by a variety of well-known methods and the methods described herein. Can be detected.

Polypeptides and polynucleotides for prognosis, diagnosis or other analysis include:
Obtained from bodily material of the suspected and / or infected individual. Polynucleotides from these sources, particularly DNA or RNA, may be used directly for detection or may be enzymatically amplified by using PCR or other amplification methods prior to analysis. RNA (specifically mRNA), cDNA and genomic DNA can be used in a similar manner. With amplification, the species and strains of an infected or settled organism present in an individual can be characterized by genotyping selected polynucleotides of the organism. Deletions and insertions can be detected by a change in the size of the amplification product relative to the genotype of a control sequence selected from a related organism, preferably a different species of the same genus or a different strain of the same species. Point mutations can be identified by hybridizing the amplified DNA to a labeled acpS polynucleotide sequence. Perfectly or significantly matched sequences are DNA or RN
For A, incomplete or more significantly mismatched duplexes can be distinguished by DNase or RNase digestion, respectively, or by differences in melting temperatures or regeneration rates. Polynucleotide sequence differences can also be detected by a change in the electrophoretic mobility of the polynucleotide fragment in the gel when compared to a control sequence, or by direct DNA sequencing. This can be done with or without denaturing agents. Polynucleotide differences can also be detected by direct DNA or RNA sequencing. For example, Myers et al., Science, 230: 124.
2 (1985). Sequence changes at specific locations can also be revealed by nuclease protection assays, such as RNase, V1 and S1 protection or chemical cleavage. For example, Cotton et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci.,
USA, 85: 4397-4401 (1985).

In another embodiment, a panel of oligonucleotide probes comprising an acpS nucleotide sequence or a fragment thereof is constructed to generate, for example, a genetic mutation,
Effective screening for serotype, taxonomic classification or identification can be performed. Array methods are well known, have a wide range of applications, and are used to solve a variety of problems in molecular genetics, including gene expression, genetic linkage, and genetic variation (eg, Chee et al., Science 274). : 610 (1996)).

Thus, in another aspect, the present invention provides (a) a polynucleotide of the present invention, preferably the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1, or a fragment thereof;
A) a nucleotide sequence complementary to the nucleotide sequence of (a); (c) a polypeptide of the invention, preferably a polypeptide of SEQ ID NO: 2, or a fragment thereof; or (d) an antibody to the polypeptide of the invention. , Preferably SEQ ID NO: 2
A diagnostic kit comprising an antibody against the polypeptide of It will be appreciated that in such a kit, (a), (b), (c) or (d) may contain important components. Such kits are particularly useful in diagnosing a disease or susceptibility to a disease.

The present invention also relates to the use of the polynucleotide of the present invention as a diagnostic reagent. A polynucleotide of the invention associated with a disease or pathogenesis, preferably SEQ ID NO: 1
The detection of a mutant form of the polynucleotide of the present invention is used for diagnosis of diseases caused by decreased expression, overexpression or altered expression of the polynucleotide, prognosis of the course of the disease, determination of the disease stage, or determination of susceptibility to the disease. A tool, or tool for such a diagnostic or other decision will be provided. Organisms having mutations in such polynucleotides, particularly infected organisms, may be detected at the polynucleotide level by a variety of methods as described elsewhere herein.

[0050] Differences in polynucleotide and / or polypeptide sequence between an organism having a first phenotype and an organism having a different second phenotype can also be determined. If a mutation is observed in some or all of the organisms having the first phenotype but not in the organism having the second phenotype, the mutation may be responsible for the development of the first phenotype. There is. Cells from organisms that carry a mutation or polymorphism (allelic variation) in the polynucleotides and / or polypeptides of the invention can be expressed at the polynucleotide or polypeptide level by various techniques, such as, for example, to allow for serotyping. Can be detected. For example, RT-PCR can be used to detect mutations in RNA. It is particularly preferred to use RT-PCR in combination with an automatic detection system, such as GeneScan. RNA, cDNA or genomic DNA can also be
R can be used. As an example, mutations can be identified and analyzed using PCR primers complementary to the polynucleotide encoding the acpS polypeptide. The present invention further provides primers having 1, 2, 3 or 4 nucleotides removed from the 5 'and / or 3' end. In particular, these primers can be used for the amplification of samples from individuals, such as acpS DNA and / or RNA isolated from bodily material. Primers may be used to amplify a polynucleotide isolated from an infected individual and subject the polynucleotide to various methods for polynucleotide sequence studies. In this way, mutations in the polynucleotide sequence may be detected, and the mutations may be used to diagnose and / or prognosticate the infection or stage or route of infection, or to serotype and / or classify the infectious agent.

The present invention further provides a method for diagnosing a disease, preferably a bacterial infection, more preferably an infection with Streptococcus pneumoniae, wherein the expression level of a polynucleotide having the sequence of Table 1 [SEQ ID NO: 1] is increased. Provided is a method characterized in that it is determined from a sample derived from an individual, for example, a body substance. Increasing or decreasing expression of the acpS polynucleotide may be determined by any method known in the art for quantifying polynucleotides, such as amplification, PCR, RT-PCR, RNase protection, Northern blotting, spectrometry and other methods. It can be measured using a hybridization method.

In addition, a diagnostic assay according to the present invention for detecting overexpression of acpS polypeptide relative to a normal control tissue sample can be used, for example, to detect the presence of an infection. Assay techniques that can be used to determine levels of acpS polypeptide, in a sample derived from a host are well-known to those of skill in the art. Such assays include radioimmunoassays, competitive binding assays, western blot analysis, antibody sandwich assays, antibody detection, and ELISA assays.

Antagonists and Agonists-Assays and Molecules In addition, polypeptides and polynucleotides of the present invention can be used to interact with small molecule substrates, for example, in cells, cell-free preparations, chemical libraries, and mixtures of natural products. Binding to the ligand can also be evaluated. These substrates and ligands may be natural substrates and ligands, or may be structural or functional mimetics. For example, Coligan et al., Current Protocols in Immunology 1 (2): Fifth.
See Chapter (1991).

The polypeptides and polynucleotides of the present invention are involved in a number of biological functions, including many disease states, specifically the diseases described above. It is therefore desirable to devise screening methods to identify compounds that stimulate or inhibit the function of the polypeptide or polynucleotide. Thus, in a further aspect, the present invention provides a screening method for identifying compounds that stimulate or inhibit the function of a polypeptide or polynucleotide of the present invention and related polypeptides and polynucleotides. Generally, agonists or antagonists (eg, inhibitors) may be used for the treatment and prevention of the above diseases. Compounds can be identified from a variety of sources, such as a mixture of cells, cell-free preparations, chemical libraries and natural products. Such agonists, antagonists or inhibitors so identified may be natural or modified substrates, ligands, receptors, enzymes and the like, and optionally acpS polypeptides and polynucleotides, or their structural or It may be a functional imitation (
Coligan et al., Current Protocols in Immunology 1 (2): Chapter 5 (1991).
checking).

The screening method simply involves directly or indirectly binding the candidate compound to a polypeptide or polynucleotide, or to a cell or membrane having the polypeptide or polynucleotide, or to a fusion protein comprising the polypeptide. The measurement may be performed using a label bound to the candidate compound. Alternatively, the screening method may use competition with a labeled competitor. In addition, these screening methods use a detection system suitable for cells containing the polypeptide or polynucleotide to test whether the candidate compound generates a signal resulting from activation or inhibition of the polypeptide or polynucleotide. It may be. Generally, inhibitors of activation are assayed in the presence of a known agonist,
Next, the effect of activation by the agonist in the presence of the candidate compound is observed. Constitutively active polypeptides and / or constitutively expressed polypeptides and polynucleotides may be used in screening methods to look for substances that reverse the effect of the agonist in the presence of the agonist or antagonist, By testing whether a candidate compound inhibits activation of a polypeptide or polynucleotide. Further, the screening method simply involves mixing the candidate compound with a solution containing a polypeptide or polynucleotide of the invention to form a mixture, measuring the acpS polypeptide and / or polynucleotide activity in the mixture, Comparing the acpS polypeptide and / or polynucleotide activity in the mixture against a standard. Fc portion and the above acpS
High-throughput assays can also be performed with fusion proteins, such as those made from polypeptides, to identify antagonists of the polypeptides of the invention and phylogenetically and / or functionally related polypeptides (D. Bennett et al., J. Mol. Rec
ognition, 8: 52-58 (1995); and K. Johanson et al., J. Biol. Chem.
270 (16): 9449-9471 (1995)).

A polynucleotide that binds and / or interacts with a polypeptide of the invention,
Using the polypeptides and antibodies, a screening method for detecting the effect of the added compound on the purification of mRNA and / or polypeptide in the cells may be assembled. For example, an ELISA assay may be constructed to measure the level of polypeptide secretion or cell binding using monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies by methods standard in the art. As a result, an agent (referred to as an antagonist or an agonist, respectively) capable of inhibiting or promoting the production of a polypeptide from an appropriately engineered cell or tissue can be found.

The present invention also enhances (agonists) or blocks the effects of acpS polypeptides or polynucleotides, particularly those of compounds that are bacteriostatic and / or bactericidal.
The present invention provides a compound screening method for identifying a compound to be an antagonist. Screening methods include high throughput techniques. For example,
To screen for agonists or antagonists, the acpS polypeptide and a cell compartment, such as a membrane, cell envelope or cell wall, or any preparation thereof, comprising an acpS polypeptide and a labeled substrate or ligand of such a polypeptide, are prepared using an acpS agonist Alternatively, incubate in the presence or absence of a candidate molecule that may be an antagonist. The ability of a candidate molecule to agonize or antagonize an acpS polypeptide is reflected in reduced binding of a labeled ligand or reduced production of a product from such a substrate. Molecules that bind and have no effect, ie, do not elicit the effects of the acpS polypeptide, will most likely be good antagonists. Molecules that bind well, increase the rate of product production from the substrate, increase signal transduction, or increase chemical channel activity are agonists. The rate of product formation from the substrate,
Detection of signal transduction, or the level of chemical channel activity, can be enhanced by using a reporter system. Reporter systems useful in this regard include, but are not limited to, colorimetrically labeled substrates that are converted to products, reporter genes that respond to changes in acpS polynucleotide or polypeptide activity, and binding assays known in the art. It is not limited.

The polypeptides of the invention may be used to identify membrane bound or soluble receptors,
Such polypeptides are identified by standard receptor binding methods in the art. These methods include, but are not limited to, ligand binding and cross-linking assays. In these methods, the polypeptide is fused to a radiolabeled (eg, ¹²⁵ I), chemically modified (eg, biotinylated) or peptide sequence suitable for detection and purification, and putative receptors (eg, cells, cell membranes, cell supernatants). , Tissue extracts, body material). Other methods include surface plasmon resonance and spectroscopic methods. These screening methods may be used to identify agonists and antagonists of the polypeptide that compete with the binding of the polypeptide to its receptor. Standard methods for performing such assays are well-known in the art.

The fluorescence polarization value of a molecule with a fluorescent tag is determined by a rotational correlation time (rotational correlation time).
lation time) or tumbling rate. Protein complexes, such as those formed by another acpS polypeptide or an acpS polypeptide bound to another polypeptide, which are labeled to include a fluorescently labeled molecule, are higher than the fluorescently labeled monomeric protein. Will have a polarization value. This method is preferably used to characterize small molecules that disrupt the polypeptide complex. Fluorescence energy transfer may be used to characterize small molecules that interfere with the formation of the acpS polypeptide dimer, trimer, tetramer, or conformation, or the structure formed by the acpS polypeptide bound to another polypeptide. .
The acpS polypeptide can be labeled with both a donor and an acceptor fluorophore. Once the two labeling species have been mixed and the donor fluorophore has been excited, fluorescence energy transfer can be detected by observing the acceptor fluorescence. Compounds that block dimerization will inhibit fluorescence energy transfer.

Using surface plasmon resonance, self-binding of the acpS polypeptide as well as ac
The effect of the small molecule on the binding of the pS polypeptide to another polypeptide or small molecule can be monitored. At low site densities, the acpS polypeptide can be coupled to the sensor chip such that the covalently bound molecule becomes monomeric. The specific binding can then be detected in real time by passing the solution protein over the acpS polypeptide-coated surface and monitoring the change in resonance angle caused by the change in local refractive index. This method can be used to characterize the effect of small molecules on kinetics and equilibrium binding constants for the self-binding of acpS polypeptide and the binding of acpS polypeptide to another polypeptide or small molecule.

Using a scintillation proximity assay, the acpS polypeptide and another acpS
The interaction between binding to the S polypeptide or another molecule can be characterized. The acpS polypeptide can be coupled to scintillation-filled beads. Addition of the radiolabeled acpS polypeptide results in binding, leaving the radioactive source molecule in close proximity to the scintillation fluid. Thus, binding of the acpS polypeptide will release a signal, and compounds that interfere with the self-binding of the acpS polypeptide or the binding of the acpS polypeptide to another polypeptide or small molecule will decrease the signal.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a method for identifying a compound that binds or interacts with a polypeptide and / or polynucleotide of the present invention to inhibit or activate its activity or expression, comprising: Contacting the polypeptide and / or polynucleotide of the invention with the compound to be screened under conditions that allow binding to the polynucleotide or other interaction of the compound with the polypeptide and / or polynucleotide. To assess binding or other interactions with the compound (preferably, in the method, the binding or interaction comprises detecting a detectable signal in response to the binding or interaction of the polypeptide and / or polynucleotide with the compound). Related to a second compound that can be provided ) And then detecting the presence or absence of a signal resulting from the binding or interaction of the compound with the polypeptide and / or polynucleotide, thereby binding or interacting with the polypeptide and / or polynucleotide, Methods are provided for determining whether to activate or inhibit activity or expression.

Another example of an assay for acpS antagonists is to convert acpS and a potential antagonist into an acpS binding molecule, under conditions suitable for a competitive inhibition assay.
A competition assay that mixes with a recombinant acpS binding molecule, a natural substrate or ligand, or a substrate or ligand mimetic. The acpS molecule can be labeled, for example, with a radioactive or colorimetric compound, and the number of acpS molecules bound to the binding molecule or converted to product can be accurately determined to assess the effect of the potential antagonist.

It will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that the polypeptides and / or polynucleotides of the present invention may be used in a design method based on the structure of an agonist or antagonist of the polypeptide and / or polynucleotide. The method comprises: (a
) First, determine the three-dimensional structure of the polypeptide and / or polynucleotide, or complex thereof, and (b) determine the three-dimensional structure of the potential reaction, binding or motif of the agonist or antagonist. Putative, (c) synthesize candidate compounds that are expected to bind or react with putative reactive sites, binding sites and / or motifs, and then (d) test whether the candidate compound is indeed an agonist or antagonist Including doing. It will further be appreciated that this is an iterative process, and that this iterative process may be performed using automatic and computer controlled steps.

In a further aspect, the invention provides a method of treating an abnormal condition, such as a disease associated with overexpression, underexpression, increased activity, or decreased activity of an acpS polypeptide and / or polynucleotide. . If the expression and / or activity of the polypeptide and / or polynucleotide is in excess, several methods can be used. One method is to inhibit the function and / or expression of the polypeptide and / or polynucleotide (eg, by blocking the binding of ligands, substrates, receptors, enzymes, etc., or by inhibiting secondary signals). A) administering an effective amount of the inhibitory compound (antagonist) to a subject together with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, thereby ameliorating the abnormal condition. In another method, a soluble form of the polypeptide that is capable of binding to ligands, substrates, receptors, enzymes, etc., also in competition with endogenous polypeptides and / or polynucleotides, may be administered. Typical examples of such competitors include fragments of the acpS polypeptide and / or polynucleotide.

In yet another approach, endogenous a
The expression of the gene encoding the cpS polypeptide can be inhibited. This blocking may target any step of gene expression, but preferably targets transcription and / or translation. Examples of known methods of this type include the use of antisense sequences that occur in the body or are administered separately (eg, Olig
odeoxynucleotides as Antisense Inhibitors of Gene Expression, CRC Press,
O'Connor in Bocca Raton, FL (1988), J. Neurochem (1991) 56: 5.
60). Alternatively, oligonucleotides that form triple helices with the gene may be provided. For example, Lee et al., Nucleic Acids Res (1979
) 6: 3073; Cooney et al., Science (1988) 241: 45; Dervan et al., Sci.
ence (1991) 251: 1360. These oligonucleotides can be administered per se or the oligomers of interest can be expressed in vivo.

The polynucleotide sequences obtained herein can each be used for the discovery and development of antimicrobial compounds. The protein encoded by the expression can be used as a target for screening antimicrobial drugs. In addition, a polynucleotide sequence encoding the amino-terminal region of the encoded protein or a Shine-Dalgarno or other individual mRNA translation-enhancing sequence may be used to create an antisense sequence that regulates expression of the coding sequence of interest. Can be built.

The present invention also provides for the use of a polypeptide, polynucleotide, agonist or antagonist of the present invention to disrupt the initial physical interaction between a pathogen and a mammalian host involved in the sequelae of infection. provide. In particular, the molecules of the present invention are used to prevent bacteria, especially Gram-positive bacteria, from attaching to mammalian extracellular matrix proteins on indwelling devices or extracellular matrix proteins in wounds; eukaryotes,
Preferably mammalian extracellular matrix protein and bacterial acp mediating tissue damage
It can be used to block bacterial attachment to and from the S protein; to block the normal progression of etiology in infections initiated by other than implantation of an indwelling device or other surgical procedure.

According to yet another aspect of the invention, there are provided agonists and antagonists of acpS, preferably bacteriostatic or bactericidal agonists and antagonists. Using the antagonists and agonists of the present invention, for example, to inhibit disease,
Can be treated. Helicobacter pylori (also referred to herein as H. pylori) bacteria causes one-third of people worldwide to develop gastric cancer, ulcers and gastritis.
Infected in the stomach (International Agency for Researc
h on Cancer) (1994) Schistomoses, Liver Flukes and Helicobacter Pyl
ori (International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France; http: //
/ Www. uicc. ch / ecp / ecp2904. htm)). In addition, the International Agency for Research on Cancer has recently recognized a causal relationship between Helicobacter pylori and gastric adenocarcinoma and has classified the bacterium as a Group I (limited) carcinogen. Preferred antimicrobial compounds of the present invention (agonists and antagonists of acpS polypeptides and / or polynucleotides), particularly narrow spectrum antibiotics, provided by the present invention or found using screening methods known in the art, are: It is useful for treating Helicobacter pylori infection. Such treatment reduces the appearance of Helicobacter pylori-induced cancer, for example, gastrointestinal cancer. Such treatment also prevents, inhibits and / or cures gastric ulcers and gastritis.

All publications and references (not limited to patents and patent applications) cited in this specification are subject to the completeness of each and every publication or reference specifically and individually. , The contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. Any patent application for which this application claims priority is also hereby incorporated by reference.

Terminology Certain terms frequently used herein are defined below to facilitate their understanding. “Physical material (s)” means materials of individual or biological origin, including bone,
Including, but not limited to, blood, serum, cerebrospinal fluid, semen, saliva, muscle, cartilage, organ tissue, skin, urine, cells such as urine, stool or biopsy, excrement, etc. . "Disease (s)" include, for example, otitis media, conjunctivitis, pneumonia, bacteremia, meningitis, sinusitis, pleural pyometra and endocarditis, especially meningitis, eg, infection of the cerebrospinal fluid. Or a disease caused by, or related to, infection by a bacterium.

“Host cell (s)” are cells that have been transformed or transfected, or are capable of being transformed or transfected by an exogenous polynucleotide sequence.

“Identity” is known in the art and is a relationship between two or more polypeptide sequences or two or more polynucleotide sequences, as determined by comparing the sequences. Also, in the art, "identity" may
It refers to the degree of sequence relatedness between polypeptide or polynucleotide sequences, as determined by pairing between the chains of the sequences. "Identity" means Computational Mo
lecular Biology, Lesk, AM, Oxford University Press, New York, 198.
8; Biocomputing: Informatics and Genome Projects, Smith, DW, Academ
ic Press, New York, 1993; Computer Analysis of Sequence Data, Part I
, Griffin, AM and Griffin, HG, Humana Press, New Jersey, 1994.
Sequence Analysis in Molecular Biology, Von Heinje, G .; Academic Press,
1987; and Sequence Analysis Primer, Gribskov, M. and Devereux, J.
Ed., M Stockton Press, New York, 1991; and Carlio, H and Lipman, D.
, SIAM J. Applied Math., 48: 1073 (1988) (
The present invention is not limited to these, but can be easily determined by known methods. The preferred method of determining identity is designed to give the largest match between the sequences tested. Moreover, methods for determining identity are codified in publicly available computer programs. Preferred computer programming methods for determining the identity between two sequences are described, for example, in the GCG Program Package (Devere
ux, J. et al., Nucleic Acids Research (1984) 12 (1): 387), BLASTP
BLASTN and FASTA (Atschul, SF et al., J. Molec. Biol. (1990) 215:
403-410), but is not limited thereto. The BLAST X program is available from NCBI and other sources (BLAST Manual, Altshul, S. et al., NCBI NLM NIH Bethesda, MD20).
894; Altschul, S .; J. et al. Mol. Biol., 215: 403-410 (1990).
Publicly available from)). In addition, well-known Smith Waterman (Smith Waterm
an) The identity can also be determined using an algorithm.

The parameters for polypeptide sequence comparison include the following: Algorithm: Needleman and Wunsch, J. Mol. Biol. 48: 443-453 (19
70) Comparative matrix: Hentikoff and Hentikoff, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 89
: 10915-10919 (1992) BLOSSUM62 Gap penalty: 12 Gap length penalty: 4 A useful program for these parameters is the Genetics Computer Group.
Publicly available as a "gap" program from p. Madison WI. The above parameters are default parameters for peptide comparison (without penalty for end gaps). Parameters for polynucleotide comparisons include: Algorithm: Needleman and Wunsch, J. Mol. Biol. 48: 443-453 (197).
0) Comparison matrix: match = + 10, mismatch = 0 Gap penalty: 50 Gap length penalty: 3 A useful program for these parameters is the Genetics Computer Group
Publicly available as a "gap" program from p. Madison WI. The above parameters are default parameters for nucleic acid comparison.

Preferred meanings for “identity” for polynucleotides and polypeptides are set forth in (1) and (2) below. (1) Further, specific examples of the polynucleotide include a polynucleotide comprising a polynucleotide sequence having at least 50, 60, 70, 80, 85, 90, 95, 97 or 100% identity to the control sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1. It encompasses an isolated polynucleotide sequence, which may be identical to the control sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1, or may have up to a certain number of nucleotide changes compared to the control sequence. Such changes are selected from the group consisting of deletions, substitutions (including transitions and transversions) or insertions of at least one nucleotide, wherein the changes are at the 5 'or 3' end of a control nucleotide sequence or at their termini. At positions between the positions, they may occur individually or interspersed with nucleotides in the control sequence, or as one or more contiguous groups in the control sequence.
The number of nucleotide changes is determined by multiplying the total number of nucleotides in SEQ ID NO: 1 by the individual percent identity value (divided by 100) and subtracting the product from the total number of nucleotides in SEQ ID NO: 1. This is described by the following _{equation: n n ≦ x n - (} x n · y) wherein, n _n is the number of nucleotide alterations, x _n is the total number of nucleotides in SEQ ID NO: 1, y is, It is 0.95 if 95%, 0.97 if 97%, and 1
If it is 00%, it is 1.00, and is an operator of the product, and the non-integer product of _xn and y is rounded down to the nearest integer and then subtracted from _xn . Changes in the polynucleotide sequence encoding the polypeptide of SEQ ID NO: 2 can preferably result in nonsense, missense or frameshift mutations in the coding sequence, and thus are associated with the change by the polynucleotide. The encoded polypeptide changes.

For example, the polynucleotide sequence of the invention may be identical to the control sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1, ie, may be 100% identical, or up to a certain number of nucleic acids as compared to the control sequence. (In which case the% identity is 1
Less than 00%). Such alterations are selected from the group consisting of deletions, substitutions (including transitions and transversions) or insertions of at least one nucleic acid, wherein the alterations are at the 5 'or 3' end of a control polynucleotide sequence or at their position. At positions between the terminal positions, they may occur individually or interspersed with the nucleic acids in the control sequence, or as one or more contiguous groups in the control sequence. The total number of nucleic acids in SEQ ID NO: 1 is multiplied by a value obtained by dividing an integer representing individual identity by 100, and the product is subtracted from the total number of nucleic acids in SEQ ID NO: 1 to calculate the number of nucleic acid changes for the% identity value. To determine. Alternatively This is illustrated by the following _{equation: n n ≦ x n - (} x n · y) wherein, n _n is the number of nucleic acid variation, x _n is the total nucleic acid number in SEQ ID NO: 1, y is
95% is 0.95, 97% is 0.97 and 100% is 1.97.
00 is an operator of the product, and the non-integer product of _xn and y is rounded down to the nearest integer and then subtracted from _xn .

(2) Specific examples of the polypeptide further include an isolated polypeptide comprising a polypeptide having at least 95, 97 or 100% identity to the polypeptide control sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2, The polypeptide sequence may be identical to the control sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 or may have up to a certain number of amino acid changes compared to the control sequence. Such alterations are selected from the group consisting of deletions, substitutions (including conservative and non-conservative substitutions) or insertions of at least one amino acid, wherein the alterations are at the amino or carboxy terminal position of the control polypeptide sequence or at those positions. May occur individually or interspersed with amino acids in the control sequence, or as one or more contiguous groups in the control sequence. The number of amino acid changes is determined by multiplying the total number of amino acids in SEQ ID NO: 2 by a value obtained by dividing an integer indicating the identity by 100, and subtracting the product from the total number of amino acids in SEQ ID NO: 2. This is described by the following equation: n _a ≦ x _a - in (x _a · y) formula, n _a is the number of amino acid alterations, x _a is the total number of amino acids in SEQ ID NO: 2,
y is 95% if 0.95, 97% if 0.97 is 100% if 1.00, • is the symbol for the multiplication operator, not an integer between x _a and y product after rounded down to the nearest integer prior to subtracting it from x _a.

For example, a polypeptide sequence of the invention may be identical to the reference sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2, ie, may be 100% identical, or may have up to a certain number of amino acids as compared to the control sequence. (In which case the percent identity is 1
Less than 00%). Such changes can be at least one amino acid deletion, substitution (
Conservative or non-conservative substitutions) or insertions, wherein the alteration is at an amino or carboxy terminal position of the control polypeptide sequence or at a position between those terminal positions, at an amino acid in the control sequence. It may occur individually or interspersed, or as one or more contiguous groups in a control sequence. Number of amino acid changes for percent identity value by multiplying the total number of amino acids in SEQ ID NO: 2 by the individual percent identity value (divided by 100) and subtracting the product from the total number of amino acids in SEQ ID NO: 2 To determine. This is described by the following _{equation: n a ≦ x a - (} x a · y) wherein, n _a is the number of amino acid alterations, x _a is the total number of amino acids in SEQ ID NO: 2, y is, For example, 95% is 0.95, 97% is 0.97, and 10%
Was 0% if 1.00 mag, • is the symbol for the multiplication operator, and wherein any non-integer product of x _a and y is the rounded down to the nearest integer prior to subtracting it from x _a.

“Individual (s)” means multicellular eukaryotes, including, but not limited to, metazoans, mammals, goats, cows, apes, primates, and humans .

“Isolated” means altered “by the hand of man” from its natural state, ie, in the case of natural products, altered or removed from its original environment or both. means. For example, a polynucleotide or polypeptide naturally occurring in an organism is not `` isolated, '' but the same polynucleotide or polypeptide separated from its coexisting material in its natural state is the term used herein. As "isolated". Furthermore, polynucleotides or polypeptides that have been introduced into an organism by transformation, genetic manipulation, or by any other method, are still in the organism, even if the organism is alive or dead. , "Isolated".

“Organism (s)” includes (i) Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Bordete
lla, Corynebacterium, Mycobacterium, Neisseia, Haemophilus, Actinomyces
, Streptomyces, Nocardia, Enterobacter, Yersinia, Fancisella, Pasturella
, Moraxella, Acinetobacter, Erysipelothrix, Branhamella, Actinobacillus
, Streptobacillus, Listeria, Calymmatobacterium, Brucella, Bacillus, Clo
sterdium, Treponema, Escherichia, Salmonella, Kleibsiella, Vibrio, Prote
us, Erwinia, Borrelia, Leptospira, Spirillum, Campylobacter, Shigella, L
egionella, Pseudomonas, Aeromonas, Rickettsia, Chlamydia, Borrelia and
Members of the genus (but not limited to) Mycoplasma, and St
reptococcus, Streptococcus of group B, Streptococcus of group C, Streptococcus of group D, Streptococcus of group G, Staphylococcus aureus
, Streptococcus pyrogenes, Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus faeca
lis, Streptococcus faecium, Streptococcus durans, Neisseria gonorrheae,
Neisseria meningitidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidi
s, Corynebacterium diptheriae, Garnella vaginalis, Mycobacterium tubercu
losis, Mycobacterium bovis, Mycobacterium ulcerans, Mycobacterium leprae
, Actinomyces israelli, Listeria monocytogenes, Bordetella pretusis, Bor
detella parapretusis, Bordetella bronchiseptica, Esherichia coli, Shigel
la dysenteriae, Haemophilus influenzae, Haemophilus aegyptius, Haemophil
us parainfluenzae, Haemophilus ducreyi, Bordetella, Salmonella typhi, Ci
trobacter freundii, Proteus mirabilis, Proteus vulgaris, Yersinia pestis
, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Serratia marcessens, Serratia liquefaciens, Vib
rio cholera, Shigella dysenterii, Shigella flexneri, Pseudomonas aerugin
osa, Franscisella tularensis, Brucella abortis, Bacillus anthracis, Baci
llus cereus, Clostridium perfringens, Clostridium tetani, Clostridium bu
tulinum, Treponema pallidum, Rickettsia rickettsii and Chlamydia tracho
prokaryotes, including, but not limited to, members of a species or group that is mitis; (ii) archaebacteria, including, but not limited to, Archaebacter;
ii) Protozoa, fungi, members of the genus (but not limited to) Saccharomyces, Kluveromyces or Candida, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Kluveromyces l
A unicellular or filamentous eukaryote, including but not limited to members of the species actis or Candida albicans.

“Polynucleotide (s)” generally refers to either polyribonucleotides or polydeoxyribonucleotides, which may be unmodified RNA or DNA, or modified RNA or DNA. "Polynucleotide" refers to single- and double-stranded DNA, DNA that is a mixture of single- and double-stranded regions or single-, double- and triple-stranded regions, single- and double-stranded RNA, single-stranded and Hybrid molecules comprising RNA, which is a mixture of double-stranded regions, and DNA and RNA which may be single-stranded or more typically a mixture of double- or triple-stranded regions or single- and double-stranded regions But not limited thereto. Further, as used herein, "polynucleotide" refers to a triple-stranded region consisting of RNA or DNA, or both RNA and DNA. The chains in these regions may be from the same molecule or from different molecules. The regions may include all one or more of these molecules, but more typically include only some regions of the molecule. One of the molecules of the triple helix region is often an oligonucleotide. As used herein, "polynucleotide (s)"
The term also includes the above DNAs or RNAs containing one or more modified bases. That is, DNA or RNA having a backbone that has been modified for stability or for other reasons is also "polynucleotide (s)" as that term is intended herein. In addition, DNA or RNA (only two examples are shown) that include unusual bases such as inosine or modified bases such as tritylated bases are also polynucleotides as that term is used herein. It will be appreciated that a variety of modifications have been made to DNA and RNA and have been used for many useful purposes, as will be known to those skilled in the art. As used herein, the term "polynucleotide" refers to such chemically, enzymatically or metabolically modified forms of polynucleotides, as well as viruses and cells, such as, for example, simple and complex cells. Includes characteristic DNA and RNA chemical forms. "Polynucleotide (s)" also encompasses relatively short polynucleotides, often referred to as oligonucleotide (s).

“Polypeptide (s)” refers to any peptide or protein comprising two or more amino acids joined together by peptide bonds or modified peptide bonds. "Polypeptide (s)" refers to both short chains, commonly referred to as peptides, oligopeptides or oligomers, and to longer chains, generally referred to as proteins. Polypeptides may contain amino acids other than the 20 amino acids encoded by the gene. "Polypeptide (s)" have been modified by either natural processes, such as processing and other post-translational modifications, or by chemical modification techniques. Such modifications are described in detail in the basic text and in more detailed research articles, as well as in the extensive research literature, which are well known to those skilled in the art. It will be apparent that the same type of modification may be present at the same or varying degrees at several sites in a given polypeptide. Also, a given peptide may have many types of modifications. Modifications can occur anywhere in the polypeptide, including the peptide backbone, amino acid side chains, amino or carboxyl termini. Modifications include, for example, acetylation, acylation, ADP-ribosylation, amidation, covalent attachment of flavin, covalent attachment of heme moieties, covalent attachment of nucleotides or nucleotide derivatives, covalent attachment of lipids or lipid derivatives, phosphotidylinositol Bond, crosslink, cyclization, disulfide bond formation, demethylation, covalent crosslink formation, cystine formation, pyroglutamate formation, formylation, gamma-carboxylation, GPI anchor formation, hydroxylation, iodination, Methylation, myristoylation, oxidation, proteolytic processing, phosphorylation, prenylation, racemization, glycosylation, lipidation, sulfation, gamma-carboxylation of glutamic acid residues, hydroxylation and ADP-ribosylation, selenoylation RN such as sulfation, arginylation It encompasses addition of amino acids to proteins mediated, and ubiquitination by. For example, PROTEINS-STRUCTUR
E AND MOLECULAR PROPERTIES, 2nd edition, TE Creighton, WH Freeman and
Company, New York (1993) and Wold, F., POSTTRANSLATIONAL COVALE
NT MODIFICATION OF PROTEINS, Posttranslational Protein Modifications: Pe
rspectives and Prospects, 1-12, edited by BC Johnson, Academic Press, New
York (1983); Seifter et al., Meth Enzymol. (1990) 182: 626-6.
46, and Rattan et al., Protein Synthesis: Posttranslational Modifications
and Aging, Ann NY Acad Sci (1992) 663: 48-62. Polypeptides may be branched or cyclic with or without branching. Cyclic, branched and branched cyclic polypeptides are the result of natural post-translational processing and can likewise be synthesized in entirely synthetic ways.

“Recombinant expression system (s)” refers to an expression system or a part or book thereof introduced or transformed into a host cell or host cell lysate for the production of the polynucleotides and polypeptides of the invention. Refers to a polynucleotide of the invention.

As used herein, the term “variant (s)” is each polynucleotide or polypeptide that differs from a reference polynucleotide or polypeptide, but retains essential properties. Is a peptide. A typical variant of a polynucleotide differs in nucleotide sequence from another, reference polynucleotide. Changes in the nucleotide sequence of the variant may or may not be different from the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide encoded by the reference polynucleotide. Nucleotide changes may result in amino acid substitutions, additions, deletions, fusions and truncations in the polypeptide encoded by the reference sequence, as described below. A typical variant of a polypeptide differs in amino acid sequence from another, reference polypeptide. Generally, differences are limited so that the sequences of the reference polypeptide and the variant are closely similar overall and, in many regions, identical. The variant and reference polypeptides may differ in amino acid sequence by one or more substitutions, additions, deletions in any combination. The substituted or inserted amino acid residue may or may not be one encoded by the genetic code. The present invention also provides variants of each of the polypeptides of the present invention, i.e., those that differ from a reference by conservative amino acid substitutions, whereby a residue is replaced with another residue having similar properties. Include. Typical such substitutions are Ala, Val, Leu and Il.
e; Ser and Thr; acidic residues Asp and Glu; Asn and G
ln; basic residues Lys and Arg; or aromatic residues Phe and T
yr. Variants in which several, five to ten, one to five, one to three, one to two or one or more amino acids are substituted, deleted or added in any combination are particularly preferred. A variant of a polynucleotide or polypeptide may be naturally occurring, such as an allelic variant, or may be a variant that is not known to occur naturally. Non-naturally occurring variants of polynucleotides and polypeptides may be made by mutagenesis methods or by direct synthesis or other recombinant methods known to those skilled in the art.

EXAMPLES The following examples are performed using standard techniques well known and routine to those of skill in the art, except as otherwise described in detail. The examples are illustrative and do not limit the invention. Example 1 Strain Selection, Library Production and Sequencing A polynucleotide having the DNA sequence shown in Table 1 (SEQ ID NO: 1) was obtained from a clone library of chromosomal DNA of Streptococcus pneumoniae in Escherichia coli. Using sequence data from two or more clones containing overlapping Streptococcus pneumoniae DNA, a contiguous DNA sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 was constructed. The library may be produced by conventional means, for example, methods 1 and 2 below. Total cellular DNA is isolated from Streptococcus pneumoniae 0100993 according to standard methods and size fractionated by one of the following two methods.

Method 1 Whole cell DNA was needled for size fractionation according to standard methods.
) And mechanically shear. DNA fragments up to 11 kbp in size are truncated by treatment with exonuclease and DNA polymerase, and an EcoRI linker is added. The fragment is ligated into the vector, Lambda ZapII, which has been cut with EcoRI, the library is packaged by standard methods, and the packaged library is then infected with Escherichia coli. The library is amplified by standard methods.

Method 2 One restriction enzyme (eg, RsaI, PalI, Alu) suitable for obtaining a series of fragments for cloning total cellular DNA into a library vector.
I, Bshl235I) or a combination thereof, and such fragments are size fractionated according to standard methods. EcoRI linker to DNA
And the fragment was cut with EcoRI, Lambda Z
ligated to apl, package the library by standard methods, and infect E. coli with the packaged library. The library is amplified by standard methods.

[0089]

[Sequence list]

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) C07K 16/12 C12N 1/19 C12N 1/15 1/21 1/19 C12P 21/02 C 1/21 C12Q 1/02 5/10 G01N 33/15 Z C12P 21/02 33/50 Z C12Q 1/02 33/68 G01N 33/15 C12N 15/00 ZNAA 33/50 A61K 37/02 33/68 C12N 5/00 A

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. an isolated polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 95% identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 over the entire length of SEQ ID NO: 2; Or (iii) an isolated polypeptide having the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2; and (vi) a polypeptide encoded by a recombinant polynucleotide comprising the polynucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1. Isolated polypeptide. 2. (i) an isolated polynucleotide comprising a polynucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide having at least 95% identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 over the entire length of SEQ ID NO: 2; A) an isolated polynucleotide comprising a polynucleotide sequence having at least 95% identity over its entire length to the nucleotide sequence encoding the polypeptide of SEQ ID NO: 2; An isolated polynucleotide comprising a nucleotide sequence that encodes the polypeptide of SEQ ID NO: 2; (v) an isolated polynucleotide comprising a nucleotide sequence having at least 95% identity to the nucleotide sequence of: An isolated polynucleotide which is the polynucleotide of No. 1; (vi. An isolated polynucleotide obtainable by screening an appropriate library under stringent hybridization conditions using a labeled probe having the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 or a fragment thereof; (vii) in Streptococcus pneumoniae An isolated polynucleotide encoding the mature polypeptide expressed by the included acpS gene; and (viii) (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v), (vi) or (vi) vii) a polynucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of: a polynucleotide sequence complementary to said isolated polynucleotide of (vii). 3. A method for treating an individual, comprising: (i) administering to the individual a therapeutically effective amount of an antagonist to the polypeptide, wherein the activity or expression of the polypeptide of claim 1 is required. Or an individual in need of an immunological response to the polypeptide; or (ii) (a) administering to the individual a therapeutically effective amount of an antagonist to the polypeptide of claim 1; or (b). Administering to the individual a nucleic acid molecule that inhibits expression of the polynucleotide sequence encoding the polypeptide; (c) therapeutically competing with the polypeptide of claim 1 for a ligand, substrate, or receptor. Administering to the individual an effective amount of the polypeptide; or (d) an amount of the polypeptide that elicits an immunological response to the polypeptide described above in the individual. Comprising administering a peptide to said individual, methods of treating an individual in need of inhibition of the activity or expression of the polypeptide of claim 1. 4. A method of diagnosing or prognosing a disease in an individual or susceptibility to such disease associated with the expression or activity of the polypeptide of claim 1 in the individual, comprising the following steps: (a) in the organism of said individual Determining the presence or absence of a mutation in the nucleotide sequence encoding said polypeptide of; or (b) analyzing the presence or amount of expression of said polypeptide in a sample from said individual. . 5. An isolated polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence selected from the group having at least 95% identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 over the entire length of SEQ ID NO: 2; (ii) SEQ ID NO: (Vi) an isolated polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2; and (vi) a polypeptide encoded by a recombinant polynucleotide comprising the polynucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1. A method for producing a polypeptide selected from the group consisting of: culturing the host cell of claim 7 under conditions sufficient to produce said polypeptide. 6. An isolated polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence selected from the group having at least 95% identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 over the entire length of SEQ ID NO: 2; (Vi) an isolated polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2; and (vi) a polypeptide encoded by a recombinant polynucleotide comprising the polynucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1. A method for producing a host cell containing an expression system, which expresses a polypeptide selected from the group consisting of the above polypeptides (i) and (ii) when present in a compatible host.
), (Iii) or (iv), the cells are transformed or transfected with an expression system comprising a polynucleotide, and under suitable culture conditions, the host cells are transformed into the polypeptides (i), (ii), (Iii) or (iv). 7. An isolated polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence selected from the group having at least 95% identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 over the entire length of SEQ ID NO: 2; (Vi) an isolated polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2; and (vi) a polypeptide encoded by a recombinant polynucleotide comprising the polynucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1. A host cell that expresses a polypeptide selected from the group consisting of: 8. An antibody immunospecific for the polypeptide of claim 1. 9. A screening method for identifying a compound that activates and / or inhibits the function of the polypeptide according to claim 1, comprising: (a) using a label directly or indirectly bound to a candidate compound; Measuring the binding of the candidate compound to the polypeptide (or a cell or membrane having the polypeptide) or a fusion protein thereof; (b) in the presence of a labeled competitor, the polypeptide of the candidate compound (or the cell having the polypeptide or (C) determining whether the candidate compound produces a signal generated by activation or inhibition of the polypeptide, using a detection system suitable for cells or cell membranes having the polypeptide. (D) mixing the candidate compound with a solution containing the polypeptide of claim 1; Forming a product, measuring the activity of the polypeptide in the mixture, and comparing the activity of the mixture to a reference; or (e) mRNA encoding the polypeptide and the polypeptide in a cell using, for example, an ELISA assay. A method selected from the group consisting of detecting the effect of a candidate compound on peptide production. 10. An agonist or antagonist for the polypeptide of claims 1 to 4.