WO2013166364A1 - Protéine de tri 1 associée à un récepteur couplé à une protéine g en tant que biomarqueur du cancer - Google Patents

Protéine de tri 1 associée à un récepteur couplé à une protéine g en tant que biomarqueur du cancer Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2013166364A1
WO2013166364A1 PCT/US2013/039430 US2013039430W WO2013166364A1 WO 2013166364 A1 WO2013166364 A1 WO 2013166364A1 US 2013039430 W US2013039430 W US 2013039430W WO 2013166364 A1 WO2013166364 A1 WO 2013166364A1
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Prior art keywords
gasp
cancer
subject
expression level
early stage
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PCT/US2013/039430
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English (en)
Inventor
Frank N. Chang
George P. Tuszynski
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Temple University
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Priority claimed from US13/464,174 external-priority patent/US8420333B2/en
Priority claimed from US13/800,741 external-priority patent/US8980269B2/en
Application filed by Temple University filed Critical Temple University
Priority to CA2871996A priority Critical patent/CA2871996A1/fr
Priority to EP13784904.8A priority patent/EP2845008A4/fr
Priority to AU2013256109A priority patent/AU2013256109A1/en
Publication of WO2013166364A1 publication Critical patent/WO2013166364A1/fr

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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N33/00—Investigating or analysing materials by specific methods not covered by groups G01N1/00 - G01N31/00
    • G01N33/48—Biological material, e.g. blood, urine; Haemocytometers
    • G01N33/50—Chemical analysis of biological material, e.g. blood, urine; Testing involving biospecific ligand binding methods; Immunological testing
    • G01N33/53—Immunoassay; Biospecific binding assay; Materials therefor
    • G01N33/574—Immunoassay; Biospecific binding assay; Materials therefor for cancer
    • G01N33/57407—Specifically defined cancers
    • G01N33/57415—Specifically defined cancers of breast
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
    • C12Q—MEASURING OR TESTING PROCESSES INVOLVING ENZYMES, NUCLEIC ACIDS OR MICROORGANISMS; COMPOSITIONS OR TEST PAPERS THEREFOR; PROCESSES OF PREPARING SUCH COMPOSITIONS; CONDITION-RESPONSIVE CONTROL IN MICROBIOLOGICAL OR ENZYMOLOGICAL PROCESSES
    • C12Q1/00—Measuring or testing processes involving enzymes, nucleic acids or microorganisms; Compositions therefor; Processes of preparing such compositions
    • C12Q1/68—Measuring or testing processes involving enzymes, nucleic acids or microorganisms; Compositions therefor; Processes of preparing such compositions involving nucleic acids
    • C12Q1/6876—Nucleic acid products used in the analysis of nucleic acids, e.g. primers or probes
    • C12Q1/6883—Nucleic acid products used in the analysis of nucleic acids, e.g. primers or probes for diseases caused by alterations of genetic material
    • C12Q1/6886—Nucleic acid products used in the analysis of nucleic acids, e.g. primers or probes for diseases caused by alterations of genetic material for cancer
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N33/00—Investigating or analysing materials by specific methods not covered by groups G01N1/00 - G01N31/00
    • G01N33/48—Biological material, e.g. blood, urine; Haemocytometers
    • G01N33/50—Chemical analysis of biological material, e.g. blood, urine; Testing involving biospecific ligand binding methods; Immunological testing
    • G01N33/53—Immunoassay; Biospecific binding assay; Materials therefor
    • G01N33/574—Immunoassay; Biospecific binding assay; Materials therefor for cancer
    • G01N33/57407—Specifically defined cancers
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
    • C12Q—MEASURING OR TESTING PROCESSES INVOLVING ENZYMES, NUCLEIC ACIDS OR MICROORGANISMS; COMPOSITIONS OR TEST PAPERS THEREFOR; PROCESSES OF PREPARING SUCH COMPOSITIONS; CONDITION-RESPONSIVE CONTROL IN MICROBIOLOGICAL OR ENZYMOLOGICAL PROCESSES
    • C12Q2600/00—Oligonucleotides characterized by their use
    • C12Q2600/158—Expression markers
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N2800/00—Detection or diagnosis of diseases
    • G01N2800/56—Staging of a disease; Further complications associated with the disease

Definitions

  • This invention relates to the use of G-protein coupled receptor-associated sorting protein 1 (GASP-1), peptide fragments thereof, and GASP-1 nucleic acids as early or late stage cancer biomarkers, and the use of such biomarkers to determine a diagnosis, prognosis, or therapeutic treatment for a subject.
  • GASP-1 G-protein coupled receptor-associated sorting protein 1
  • biomarkers are predicted to significantly change the efficiency and economics of drug discovery and development.
  • the pharmaceutical industry is shifting its focus from biomarkers that simply differentiate therapeutic responder/non- responder populations to identifying new biomarkers that are themselves validated as therapeutic targets. It is estimated that if biomarker data could improve just 10% of the critical decisions in the drug development process, then savings of up to $100 million per drug could be achieved (Barton, 2006).
  • the global biomarker market is estimated to reach $20.5 billion by 2014, growing at a CAGR of about 20 % from 2009 to 2014.
  • imatinib targets an enzyme produced as a result of chromosomal translocation discovered to be associated with chronic myelogenous leukemia (Druker, 2004; Baselga, 2006).
  • the expression of the estrogen receptor is used as a biomarker for prognosis and to identify women who are likely to benefit from antiestrogen therapy (Duffy, 2005; Ariazi et al., 2006), while over-expression of HER.2 (a growth factor receptor) serves as a biomarker for prognosis and for treatment with trastuzumab (Yeon and Pegram, 2005; Duffy, 2005; Baselga, 2006).
  • HER.2 a growth factor receptor
  • biomarker research exploded primarily due to the use of proteomics approaches focusing on identifying differences in protein structure and abundance between diseased and normal states. Once identified, these biomarker proteins can be utilized for developing diagnostic tools, and because they are functional molecules, they are also more likely to be valid therapeutic targets.
  • cancer biomarkers are degraded inside the cell by proteolytic enzymes, generating peptide fragments that are subsequently released into the blood. Being low molecular weight in nature, these peptide fragments generally have a half-life of only about two hours and most of them are cleared from circulation by the kidney (Lowenthal et al, 2005).
  • albumin the most abundant plasma protein (40-50 mg/ml), functions as a scaffold for binding small molecules, lipids, and proteins in the extracellular space. It has been found to form complexes with peptide hormones such as insulin and glucagons; bradykinin, serum amyloid A, interferons, the amino-terminal peptide of HIV-1, gp41, and the 14-kDa fragment of streptococcal protein G, among others.
  • peptide hormones such as insulin and glucagons
  • bradykinin serum amyloid A
  • interferons the amino-terminal peptide of HIV-1, gp41, and the 14-kDa fragment of streptococcal protein G, among others.
  • the peptides in the tryptic digest are then separated by multidimensional separation techniques and then analyzed by mass spectrometry to establish the identities of the proteins present in the sample. It was hoped that these multidimensional separation technologies would offer significant enhancement in sensitivity for low abundance proteins by removing the masking effect of the highly abundant proteins, thereby enabling deeper penetration into the plasma proteomes. However, since none of these technologies separate serum albumin complexes, they have not yielded useful biomarkers.
  • 2-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-D PAGE), introduced by O'Farrell (1975), cannot separate serum albumin complexes, as it is typically conducted under "denaturing" conditions.
  • 2-D PAGE has many other shortcomings including requiring large amounts of samples (about 50 to 100 ⁇ ig of protein per experiment) and producing a rather streaky and mostly diffused profile when serum is analyzed.
  • proteins separated by 2-D PAGE are required to be “blotted” or transferred onto blotting membranes such as polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) for Western blot analysis. The efficiency of protein blotting is also variable.
  • PVDF polyvinylidene difluoride
  • the present inventors developed a new electrophoresis procedure that separates protein complexes directly on the PVDF membrane, thus bypassing both the cumbersome, time-consuming gel electrophoresis and its subsequent blotting steps (Chang and Yonan, 2008; Chang et al., 2009).
  • the separation of albumin complexes in the present inventors' 2-D High Performance Liquid Electrophoresis (2-D HPLE) is based on their net charge or isoelectric points (pi).
  • cancer peptide motif cancer peptide motif
  • albumin complex a newly produced cancer peptide fragment (cancer peptide motif) with a pre-existing albumin complex changes its pi and this new complex migrates to a different location on the PVDF membrane, allowing its detection among hundreds of already present albumin complexes. Because it focuses on disease-specific protein fragments, the technique enables not only the identification of new cancer protein biomarkers, but also identifies the cancer peptide motifs within these proteins. When LC/MS/MS analysis is preceded by fraction separation using 2-D HPLE, its dynamic range is enhanced to the 10 10 range required for detecting low copy number cancer biomarkers, a sensitivity that has not previously been achieved using other protein separation techniques.
  • GASP-1 G-protein coupled receptor-associated sorting protein 1
  • D2 dopamine receptor/DRD2 beta-2 adrenergic receptor/ADRB2
  • D4 dopamine receptor/DRD4 D4 dopamine receptor/DRD4
  • the present inventors have used 2-D HPLE to investigate disease-specific albumin complexes in plasma from patients with breast cancer (Chang, et al, 2009; Tuszynski et al., 2011).
  • 2-D HPLE To investigate disease-specific albumin complexes in plasma from patients with breast cancer (Chang, et al, 2009; Tuszynski et al., 2011).
  • One of the newly identified serum albumin complexes from Stage I breast cancer was cut out from the PVDF membrane after 2-D HPLE and subjected to on-membrane digestion with trypsin.
  • the cancer peptide motif was identified as a 16 amino acid sequence of EEASPEAVAGVGFESK (SEQ ID NO: 1) by liquid chromatography with tandem spectrometry sequencing of individual peptides (LC/MS/MS).
  • Protein identity was determined from database searches of virtual tryptic peptide databases and fragmentation spectra of tryptic peptides.
  • This 16-amino acid sequence came specifically from GASP-1. No studies had previously linked GASP-1 to cancer pathogenesis. However, the present inventors used polyclonal antibody raised against the 16-amino acid sequence from GASP-1 to detect the expression of GASP-1 and its fragments in tumor extracts of cancer patients (Chang et al., 2009). It was found that GASP-1 was expressed in all 7 cases of late stage (Stage II and Stage III) breast cancer patients but not in adjacent normal tissue as revealed by Western Blot analysis (Chang, et al., 2009; Tuszynski et al., 2011).
  • the 2-D HPLE process not only discovered the 1,395 amino acid GASP-1 as a new late stage cancer protein biomarker but also identified specifically the 16-amino acid residue cancer peptide motif (covering amino acid residues 850 to 865) in this protein.
  • biomarkers for the detection of early stage cancer are available. People are regularly told to watch for early symptoms of cancer. However, by the time symptoms occur, many tumors have already grown quite large and may have metastasized. Moreover, many cancers have no symptoms. There remains a need for biomarkers of early stage cancer to enable the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer at its earliest stages of development.
  • expression levels of GASP-1, peptide fragments thereof, GASP-1 mRNA, or GASP-1 cDNA may be used as a diagnostic tool or biomarker that provides early stage information on the presence, progression, and metastatic potential of many cancers.
  • An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for determining whether early or late stage cancer is present in a subject comprising detecting the expression level of GASP-1 in the subject.
  • An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a method for determining whether early stage cancer is present in a subject comprising detecting the expression level of GASP-1 in the subject.
  • Detecting the expression level of GASP-1 in a subject may comprise detecting an amount of GASP-1 peptide fragments, such as EEASPEAVAGVGFESK (SEQ ID NO: 1), present in a biological sample of the subject.
  • a further aspect of the invention relates to the therapeutic targeting of GASP-1, peptide fragments thereof, GASP-1 iRNA (inhibitory RNA), GASP-1 shRNA (short hairpin RNA), GASP- 1 mRNA, GASP-1 cDNA, or interacting partners of GASP-1 for the purpose of inhibiting the progression (e.g., spread) of cancer.
  • GASP-1 iRNA inhibitortory RNA
  • GASP-1 shRNA short hairpin RNA
  • GASP- 1 mRNA GASP-1 cDNA
  • interacting partners of GASP-1 for the purpose of inhibiting the progression (e.g., spread) of cancer.
  • therapeutic targeting may be initiated before cancer reaches late stage (e.g., before the development of overt symptoms).
  • An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for treating early stage cancer in a subject comprising administering to the subject an effective amount of a GASP-1 inhibitor to inhibit the progression of early stage cancer to late stage cancer.
  • the present invention further provides a modified ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay), referred to as a "Competitive ELISA,” for detecting GASP-1 and fragments thereof in biological samples.
  • a modified ELISA enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
  • the “Competitive ELISA” is capable of detecting GASP-1 peptide fragments of the present invention at a concentration of less than 1 ng/mL.
  • One aspect of the invention provides a method for determining whether early or late stage cancer is present in a subject comprising detecting the expression level of GASP-1 in the subject.
  • the cancer is early stage cancer, in one embodiment.
  • the early stage cancer may selected from the group consisting of a benign condition, hyperplasia, dysplasia, and carcinoma in situ.
  • the early stage cancer may be early stage breast cancer.
  • the breast cancer may be triple-negative breast cancer.
  • the method may further comprise comparing the expression level of GASP-1 in the subject to the expression level of GASP-1 in a cancer-free subject.
  • detecting the expression level of GASP-1 in the subject may comprise detecting an amount of GASP-1 peptide fragments present in a biological sample of the subject.
  • the biological sample may be selected from the group consisting of blood, urine, spinal fluid, amniotic fluid, serum, gingival, cervicular fluid, lachrymal fluid, lymph, mammary gland secretions, mucus, saliva, semen, tears, vaginal secretions, and vitreous humor.
  • the biological sample may comprise pre-cancerous tissue obtained from the subject.
  • aforementioned method may comprise obtaining a biological sample from pre-cancerous tissue in the subject, detecting an amount of GASP-1 peptide fragments present in the biological sample, and comparing the amount of GASP-1 peptide fragments present in the biological sample to an amount of GASP-1 peptide fragments present in a cancer-free tissue.
  • Detecting the amount of GASP-1 peptide fragments present in a biological sample of the subject may comprise contacting the biological sample with a binding agent (e.g., an antibody) that selectively binds GASP-1 peptide fragments and detecting the amount of GASP-1 peptide fragments that bind to the binding agent.
  • a binding agent e.g., an antibody
  • the GASP-1 peptide fragments may have an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 and/or may comprise between about 6 to about 30 amino acids.
  • detecting the expression level of GASP-1 in the subject may comprise detecting an amount of GASP-1 nucleic acids present in a biological sample of the subject.
  • the subject has not developed late stage cancer.
  • a "Competitive ELISA” may be used to detect the amount of GASP-1 peptide fragments in the subject, wherein the "Competitive ELISA” is capable of detecting GASP-1 peptide fragments present in a biological sample at a concentration of less than 1 ng/mL.
  • Another aspect of the invention provides a method for treating early stage cancer in a subject comprising administering to the subject an effective amount of a GASP-1 inhibitor to inhibit or arrest the progression of early stage cancer to late stage cancer.
  • the GASP-1 inhibitor may comprise an antibody selective for GASP-1 or a peptide thereof.
  • the GASP-1 inhibitor may comprise an antibody selective for SEQ ID NO: 1.
  • the GASP-1 inhibitor may be administered in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
  • Still another aspect of the invention provides a method for monitoring the progression of early stage cancer in a subject comprising (i) detecting the expression level of GASP-1 in the subject at a first time point, (ii) detecting the expression level of GASP-1 in the subject at one or more subsequent time points, and (iii) comparing the expression level of GASP-1 detected at the one or more subsequent time points with the expression level of GASP-1 detected at the first time point.
  • Detecting the expression level of GASP-1 in the subject may comprise detecting an amount of GASP-1 peptide fragments present in a biological sample of the subject.
  • the GASP-1 peptide fragments may have an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1.
  • Detecting the expression level of GASP-1 in the subject may comprise detecting an amount of GASP-1 nucleic acids present in a biolog ical sample of the subject.
  • the first time point may be prior to a 5 treatment regimen and the subsequent time points may be during the treatment regimen, wherein the method monitors the effectiveness of the treatment regimen over time.
  • An additional aspect of the invention provides a method for determining whether early stage cancer is present in a subject comprising :
  • the step of detecting i s the expression level of GASP-1 nucleic acid may comprise determining the amount of GASP-1 mRNA in the sample.
  • the amount of GASP-1 mRNA in the sample may be determined by RT-qPCR or qPCR, for example.
  • the method may comprise comparing the expression level of GASP-1 mRNA in the subject to the expression level of GASP-1 mRNA in a cancer-free subject.
  • the step of detecting the expression level of GASP-1 nucleic acid0 may comprise determining the amount of GASP-1 cDNA in the sample.
  • the amount of GASP-1 cDNA in the sample may be determined by Immuno-PCR (IPCR), by microarray, or by PCR array.
  • the early stage cancer may be selected from the group consisting of a benign condition, hyperplasia, dysplasia, and carcinoma In situ.
  • the early stage cancer may be early stage breast cancer.
  • the breast cancer may be triple-negative breast 5 cancer.
  • the biological sample may be selected from the group consisting of blood, urine, spinal fluid, amniotic fluid, serum, gingival, cervicular fluid, lachrymal fluid, lymph, mammary gland secretions, mucus, saliva, semen, tears, vaginal secretions, and vitreous humor.
  • the biological sample may comprise pre-cancerous tissue obtained from the subject.
  • the method may comprise obtaining the biological sample from pre-cancerous0 tissue in the subject, detecting the amount of GASP-1 mRNA present in the biological sample, and comparing the amount of GASP-1 mRNA present in the biological sample to the amount of GASP-1 mRNA present in a cancer-free biological sample.
  • the method of claim 27 may comprise obtaining the biological sample from pre-cancerous tissue in the subject, detecting the amount of GASP-1 cDNA present in the biological sample, and5 comparing the amount of GASP-1 cDNA present in the biological sample to the amount of GASP- 1 cDNA present in a cancer-free biological sample.
  • Yet another aspect of the invention provides a method for monitoring the progression of early stage cancer in a subject comprising (i) detecting the expression level of GASP-1 mRNA in the subject at a first time point, (ii) detecting the expression level of GASP-1 mRNA in the subject at one or more subsequent time points, and (iii) comparing the expression level of GASP-1 mRNA detected at the one or more subsequent time points with the expression level of GASP-1 mRNA detected at the first time point,
  • a higher expression level of GASP-1 mRNA or at the one or more subsequent time points compared to the expression level of GASP-1 mRNA at the first time point indicates progression of the early stage cancer.
  • the first time point may be prior to a treatment regimen and the subsequent time points may be during the treatment regimen, wherein the method monitors the effectiveness of the treatment regimen over time.
  • Also provided by the present invention is a method for monitoring the progression of early stage cancer in a subject comprising (i) detecting the expression level of GASP-1 cDNA in the subject at a first time point, (ii) detecting the expression level of GASP-1 cDNA in the subject at one or more subsequent time points, and (iii) comparing the expression level of GASP-1 cDNA detected at the one or more subsequent time points with the expression level of GASP-1 cDNA detected at the first time point,
  • a higher expression level of GASP-1 cDNA or at the one or more subsequent time points compared to the expression level of GASP-1 cDNA at the first time point indicates progression of the early stage cancer.
  • the first time point may be prior to a treatment regimen and the subsequent time points may be during the treatment regimen, wherein the method monitors the effectiveness of the treatment regimen over time.
  • kits for determining whether early stage cancer is present in a subject comprises:
  • nucleic acid molecule comprising at least 6 contiguous nucleotides of the GASP-1 nucleotide sequence, wherein said kit is useful for detecting an mRNA corresponding to the nucleic acid molecule in a biological sample of the subject.
  • One further aspect of the invention provides a method for treating early stage cancer in a subject comprising administering to the subject an effective amount of a GASP-1 inhibitor to inhibit or arrest the progression of early stage cancer to late stage cancer.
  • the GASP-1 inhibitor may comprise an inhibitor biomolecule, an antibody selective for GASP-1 or a peptide thereof, an antibody selective for SEQ ID NO: 1, a small inhibitory RNA (siRNA) selective for GASP-1 cDNA sequence, a short hairpin RNA (shRNA) selective for GASP-1 cDNA sequence, a small inhibitory RNA (siRNA) selective for SEQ ID NO : 1, a short hairpin RNA (shRNA) selective for SEQ ID NO: 1, and/or a GASP-1 inhibitor that interferes with the interaction of GASP-1 or its peptide fragments with their partners.
  • siRNA small inhibitory RNA
  • shRNA short hairpin RNA
  • the method may comprise administering the GASP-1 inhibitor in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
  • the early stage cancer may be selected from the group consisting of a benign condition, hyperplasia, dysplasia, and carcinoma in situ.
  • the early stage cancer may be early stage breast cancer.
  • the early stage breast cancer may be early stage triple-negative breast cancer.
  • Figure 1 illustrates elevated GASP-1 peptide levels in sera of patients with brain, lung and breast cancer as compared to those with no cancer.
  • Panel A shows a
  • Figure 2 illustrates elevated GASP-1 peptide levels in sera of patients with liver cancer as compared to those with no cancer or cirrhosis.
  • Figure 3 illustrates significantly elevated GASP-1 in benign, pre-cancerous breast lesions, and breast tumors as compared to normal tissue.
  • Breast cancer arrays BR1003 and BR1503 (US Biomax) were stained for GASP-1 as described in Tuszynski et al., 2011, and the staining intensity evaluated by a pathologist in a blinded fashion.
  • FIG. 4 shows that GASP-1 is highly expressed in Triple Negative Breast Cancer as well as in early stage breast cancers such as ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS).
  • Breast cancer array BR1503 (US Biomax) was stained for GASP-1 as described in Tuszynski, G. P., et al., 2011. The staining intensity was evaluated by a pathologist in a blinded fashion.
  • FIG. 5 illustrates the over-expression of GASP-1 in pancreatic cancer and hyperplastic and inflammatory lesions of the pancreas as compared to normal pancreas.
  • Pancreatic cancer array PA2081 US Biomax
  • Figure 6 illustrates the effects of GASP-1 silencing with GASP-1 shRNA on MB-231 cell growth.
  • Panel A a Western blot using anti-GASP-1 antibody of MB-231 cells shows that cells transfected with a single shRNA construct exhibit wild-type expression of GASP- 1, while cells transfected with all four constructs together show approximately 90% reduction in GASP-1 expression.
  • Panel B shows that GASP-1 silencing results in approximately 10-fold reduction in MB-231 cell growth.
  • Biomarkers that appear during early stage cancer can be used for both detection and screening of diseases before the appearance of symptoms. Because many cancers do not show symptoms, particularly during early stages, biomarkers that are over- expressed at an early stage and then increase in level during disease progression can provide clinicians with important information that will result in earlier detection, more successful treatment, faster patient cure, and reduced costs.
  • GASP-1 G- protein coupled receptor-associated sorting protein 1
  • T tumor cells
  • C normal cells
  • Fragments of GASP-1 were originally discovered from analysis of serum albumin complexes from Stage 1 breast cancer patients using 2-D HPLE technology. These results suggested that either GASP-1 (expressed in Stage 1) is stable and persists into Stage II and Stage III breast cancer, or GASP-1 is continuously expressed throughout Stages I, II, and III.
  • GASP-1 is over-expressed at the very early stage of many cancers, but that its expression level increases during the progression of cancers.
  • GASP-1 regulates the availability of many G protein coupled receptors (on the plasma membrane) required for continuous cancer cell growth.
  • peptide fragments derived from the over-expressed GASP- 1 are released into the bloodstream and the increase in the levels of the peptide fragments is indicative of the presence and severity of cancer. Because of their appearance at early stages of cancer, both the GASP-1 protein and peptide fragments thereof can be used as early stage biomarkers for detection and screening of cancers before symptoms appear. No biomarker studies involving detection of early stage cancer have been reported.
  • the present invention deals with biomarkers that appear in precancerous (benign) and other early stages (such as dysplasia) before tumors are found.
  • one embodiment of the invention employs peptide fragments derived from GASP-1 as biomarkers specific for early stage cancer.
  • the cancer peptide fragments are detected because GASP-1 is degraded by proteolytic enzymes (inside the cancer cell) generating fragments which are subsequently secreted into the bloodstream. Most of these peptide fragments are removed by the kidney and disappear from circulation quickly. Only a very small fraction of the peptide fragments (those containing cancer peptide motifs) has high binding affinity for pre-existing serum albumin complex generating new (cancer) serum albumin complex. As described in WO 2011/008746, the newly-formed cancer complex (out of several hundred serum albumin complexes already present in the circulation) can be separated by a 2-D High Performance Liquid
  • PVDF polyvinylidine difluoride
  • the amino acid sequence of the cancer peptide motif from the isolated cancer serum albumin complex is then identified by mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) .
  • the cancer peptide motif may have the same length as the cancer peptide fragment sequestered in the serum albumin complex. Most likely the cancer peptide motif will have a shorter length than the original cancer peptide fragment. This is because the cancer peptide motif (peptide fragment identified by LC/MS/MS) is recovered only after the digestion of the sequestered cancer peptide fragment with an enzyme, such as trypsin, which results in removing some amino acid residues at the carboxyl terminal end of the cancer peptide fragment. The removed amino acid residues are not recovered in mass spectrometric analysis and therefore lost. Similarly, some of the amino acids of the cancer peptide fragment at the N-terminal end may also be removed by the enzymatic digestion and not recovered. It is therefore to be expected that the cancer peptide motif will have a shorter amino acid sequence when compared to the cancer peptide fragment where it originates.
  • EEASPEAVAGVGFESK (SEQ ID NO: 1) was recovered from GASP-1 (Chang et al. 2009).
  • a cancer peptide motif represents only about 1 % to 3 % of a cancer protein (Chang et al. 2009).
  • EEASPEAVAGVGFESK (SEQ ID NO: 1) has 16 amino acids (residues 850 to 865) of the 1,395 amino acid G-protein coupled receptor-associated sorting protein 1 (GASP-1). This particular peptide sequence is unique for cancer detection because no other human proteins contain this sequence.
  • “early stage cancer” includes any pre-cancerous state prior to late stage cancer, including but not limited to benign conditions, conditions prior to invasive carcinoma, and/or conditions prior to the development of a cancerous tumor.
  • “early stage cancer” includes any pre-cancerous state prior to stage I, stage II, stage III, or stage IV cancer, as described in more detail below.
  • Examples of early stage breast cancer include benign conditions (e.g., non-proliferative lesions, proliferative lesions without atypia, and proliferative lesions with atypia), dysplasia, and/or carcinoma in situ.
  • breast cancer e.g., glioma, bladder cancer, colon cancer, esophagus cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, larynx cancer, lung cancer, skin cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer, renal cancer, or stomach cancer
  • early stage cancer includes any pre-cancerous state prior to late stage cancer, such as those that correspond to stage I, stage II, stage III, or stage IV in breast cancer.
  • Benign conditions include any non-cancerous abnormality that has the potential to develop into late stage cancer.
  • cancer-free refers to a subject who is free of either early stage or late stage cancer, or to tissue of a subject that is free of either early stage or late stage cancer.
  • a subject as used herein is preferably an animal, including but not limited to mammals, and most preferably human.
  • An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for determining whether early or late stage cancer is present in a subject comprising detecting the expression level of GASP-1 in the subject.
  • An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a method for determining whether early stage cancer is present in a subject comprising detecting the expression level of GASP-1 in the subject.
  • the method is preferably performed on a subject that has not developed late stage cancer (e.g., stage I, II, III, or IV cancer) or overt symptoms of cancer, such as a cancerous tumor.
  • the subject has not been diagnosed with late stage cancer, such as an invasive carcinoma.
  • the subject may have one or more benign conditions, one or more conditions prior to invasive carcinoma, and/or one or more conditions prior to the development of a cancerous tumor (e.g., the subject may have a non-cancerous abnormality, such as a benign lesion).
  • methods of the present invention can detect early stage cancer by using GASP-1, GASP-1 peptide fragments, or GASP-1 nucleic acids as early stage biomarkers.
  • the expression level of GASP-1 in the subject can be compared to the expression level of GASP- 1 in a cancer-free subject (or the expression level of GASP-1 in a biological sample that is cancer-free) to determine whether GASP-1 is over-expressed in the subject.
  • a higher expression level of GASP-1 in the subject compared to the expression level of GASP-1 in the cancer-free subject (or in the cancer-free biological sample) indicates the presence of cancer in the subject.
  • a higher expression level of GASP-1 in the subject compared to the expression level of GASP-1 in the cancer-free subject (or in the cancer-free biological sample) indicates the presence of early stage cancer in the subject.
  • the expression level of GASP-1 in the subject can be compared to predetermined reference data which correlate expression levels of GASP-1 with various stages of cancer (e.g., cancer-free, early stage 5 cancer, and/or late stage cancer) to determine whether GASP-1 is over-expressed in the subject.
  • detecting the expression level of GASP-1 in a subject comprises detecting an amount of GASP-1 peptide fragments present in a biological sample of the subject.
  • the peptide fragments preferably have at least about 6, lo at least about 10, at least about 15, at least about 20, at least about 25 or at least about 30 amino acids.
  • the GASP-1 peptide fragments may comprise, for example, between about 6 to about 50 amino acids, between about 10 to about 30 amino acids, or between about 15 to about 20 amino acids.
  • the GASP-1 peptide fragments may comprise or consist of the sequence EEASPEAVAGVGFESK (SEQ ID NO : 1).
  • the GASP-1 i s peptide fragments comprise or consist of fragments of the sequence EEASPEAVAGVGFESK (SEQ ID NO : 1).
  • Non-limiting examples of biological samples discussed herein include blood, urine, spinal fluid, amniotic fluid, serum, gingival, cervicular fluid, lachrymal fluid, lymph, mammary gland secretions, mucus, saliva, semen, tears, vaginal secretions, and vitreous
  • Biological samples may be obtained from any type of biological material, including tissues, cells, fluids, and the like from a subject.
  • the biological sample comprises serum or tissue that is potentially pre-cancerous (such as tissue that comprises a benign lesion, e.g., a proliferative lesion, a non-proliferative lesion, or tissue exhibiting dysplasia) obtained from the subject.
  • the method 5 may comprise obtaining a biological sample from a subject that does not have late stage cancer (e.g., from potentially pre-cancerous tissue in the subject), detecting an amount of GASP-1 peptide fragments present in the biological sample, and comparing the amount of GASP-1 peptide fragments present in the biological sample to an amount of GASP-1 peptide fragments present in a cancer-free tissue, or to predetermined reference data.
  • the potentially pre-cancerous tissue and the cancer-free tissue may be obtained from the same subject.
  • detecting the amount of GASP-1 peptide fragments present in a biological sample of the subject comprises contacting the biological sample with a binding agent that selectively binds GASP-1 peptide fragments and s detecting the amount of GASP-1 peptide fragments that bind to the binding agent.
  • the binding agent is preferably an antibody.
  • the antibody may be selected, for example, from a polyclonal antibody, a monoclonal antibody, a single chain antibody, a Fab, and an epitope-binding fragment of an antibody.
  • the binding agent may be bound to a radioactive label, a fluorescent label, a chemiluminescent label, or a bioluminescent label.
  • Methods for detecting the amount of GASP-1 peptide fragments present in a biological sample of the subject may comprise using an immunoassay (e.g., an ELISA) that is well- known in the art.
  • an immunoassay e.g., an ELISA
  • a "Competitive ELISA" (enzyme- linked immunosorbent assay) of the present invention is preferably used to detect the amount of GASP-1 peptide fragments in the subject.
  • Embodiments of the present invention further include treating early stage cancer in a subject by administering to the subject an effective amount of a GASP-1 inhibitor or antagonist to inhibit the progression of early stage cancer to late stage cancer (e.g., to slow down or arrest the progression of early stage cancer to late stage cancer).
  • a GASP-1 inhibitor is administered to a subject that has early stage cancer.
  • the GASP-1 inhibitor may comprise a biomolecule (e.g., an antibody) selective for GASP-1 or a peptide fragment thereof (e.g., an antibody selective for a peptide fragment of SEQ ID NO : 1), or a small inhibitory RNA (siRNA) or short hairpin RNA (shRNA) selective for a GASP-1 cDNA sequence or SEQ ID NO: 1.
  • a biomolecule e.g., an antibody
  • a peptide fragment thereof e.g., an antibody selective for a peptide fragment of SEQ ID NO : 1
  • siRNA small inhibitory RNA
  • shRNA short hairpin RNA
  • the GASP-1 inhibitor is selective for an interacting partner of GASP-1 or its peptide fragments. Because methods of the present invention can detect early stage cancer, therapeutic targeting is preferably initiated before cancer becomes late stage (e.g., prior to stage I in breast cancer).
  • therapeutic targeting is preferably initiated before cancer becomes late stage (e.g., prior to stage I in breast cancer).
  • the term "effective amount" refers to those amounts that, when administered to a particular subject in view of the nature and severity of that subject's disease or condition, will have a desired therapeutic effect, e.g., an amount which will cure, prevent, inhibit, or at least partially arrest or partially prevent progression of early stage cancer to late stage cancer.
  • a GASP-1 inhibitor or antagonist may be administered in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
  • pharmaceutically acceptable carrier refers to a diluent, adjuvant, excipient, or vehicle with which a GASP-1 inhibitor or antagonist is administered.
  • Such carriers can be sterile liquids, such as water and oils, including those of petroleum, animal, vegetable or synthetic origin, such as peanut oil, soybean oil, mineral oil, sesame oil and the like, polyethylene glycols, glycerin, propylene glycol or other synthetic solvents. Water is a preferred carrier when a compound is administered intravenously. Saline solutions and aqueous dextrose and glycerol solutions can also be employed as liquid carriers, particularly for injectable solutions.
  • Suitable excipients include starch, glucose, lactose, sucrose, gelatin, silica gel, sodium stearate, glycerol monostearate, talc, sodium chloride, glycerol, propylene glycol, water, ethanol and the like.
  • a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier can also include minor amounts of wetting or emulsifying agents, or pH buffering agents such as acetates, citrates or phosphates.
  • Antibacterial agents such as benzyl alcohol or methyl parabens; antioxidants such as ascorbic acid or sodium bisulfite; chelating agents such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid; and agents for the adjustment of tonicity such as sodium chloride or dextrose may also be included in a carrier.
  • antioxidants such as ascorbic acid or sodium bisulfite
  • chelating agents such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid
  • agents for the adjustment of tonicity such as sodium chloride or dextrose
  • present invention may be used to detect and/or treat include early stage breast cancer (including early stage triple-negative breast cancer), early stage bladder cancer, early stage colon cancer, early stage esophagus cancer, early stage hepatocellular carcinoma, early stage larynx cancer, early stage lung cancer, early stage skin cancer, early stage ovarian cancer, early stage prostate cancer, early stage pancreatic cancer, early stage l o renal cancer, and early stage stomach cancer.
  • early stage breast cancer including early stage triple-negative breast cancer
  • early stage bladder cancer including early stage triple-negative breast cancer
  • early stage colon cancer early stage esophagus cancer
  • early stage hepatocellular carcinoma early stage larynx cancer
  • early stage lung cancer early stage skin cancer
  • early stage ovarian cancer early stage prostate cancer
  • early stage pancreatic cancer early stage l o renal cancer
  • early stage stomach cancer include early stage stomach cancer (including early stage triple-negative breast cancer), early stage bladder cancer, early stage colon cancer, early stage esophagus cancer, early stage hepatocellular carcinoma
  • Another embodiment of the present invention provides a method for producing antibodies, comprising administering an effective amount of a peptide fragment of the present invention (from the over-expressed GASP-1 protein) to an immunologically competent host, and recovering antibodies from the host that are specific for the peptide is fragment.
  • Antibodies against peptide fragments from GASP-1 are highly specific "peptide antibodies" recognizing only a small region of the cancer protein (rather than the entire protein). Because the antibodies are raised against a very small region (or unique region) and not to the whole protein, they will be highly specific and will generally not be able to cross-react with other protein in the body.
  • therapeutics of the present invention include biomolecules that
  • Therapeutics can also target the interacting partners of GASP-1.
  • an antibody that binds specifically to a cancer peptide fragment (or a cancer peptide motif) from GASP-1 protein may be obtained.
  • a rabbit antibody has been generated to bind specifically to a cancer peptide
  • the antibody may be used to detect the cancer peptide fragment, or cancer peptide motif, or its corresponding GASP-1 protein in a biological sample from a subject.
  • the over-expressed GASP-1 protein in cancers can be detected by using antibodies against other regions of this protein.
  • An antibody of the present invention may also be used to inhibit the growth of a cancer cell and/or the progression from early stage cancer to late stage cancer.
  • the antibody may specifically bind a GASP-1 peptide fragment of the present invention, such as a cancer peptide motif having an amino acid sequence EEASPEAVAGVGFESK (SEQ ID NO : 1).
  • the antibody may also be used to treat a cancer patient by administering an effective amount of the antibody to the subject, whereby the antibody inhibits tumor growth or cancer migration in the subject.
  • Suitable tumors or cancers for early stage antibody treatment include breast cancer, triple-negative breast cancer, glioma, bladder cancers, colon cancer, esophagus cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, larynx cancer, lung cancer, skin cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer, renal cancer, and stomach cancer.
  • the antibody treatment may be used alone or in conjunction with other treatments.
  • a small inhibitory RNA (siRNA) or a small hairpin RNA( shRNA) complementary to the reading frame of GASP- 1 cDNA or the 3 prime or 5 prime untranslated sequence of GASP- 1 cDNA may be used to inhibit or arrest the growth of a cancer cell and/or the progression from early stage cancer to late stage cancer.
  • the siRNA or shRNA may specifical ly bind a GASP- 1 mRNA coding for a peptide fragment of the present invention, such as a cancer peptide motif having an amino acid sequence EEASPEAVAGVGFESK (SEQ ID NO : 1) .
  • the siRNA or shRNA may also be used to treat a cancer patient by
  • RNA inhibits tumor g rowth or cancer migration in the subject.
  • Suitable tumors or cancers for early stage antibody treatment include breast cancer, triple-negative breast cancer, glioma, bladder cancers, colon cancer, esophagus cancer, hepatocellu lar carcinoma, larynx cancer, lung cancer, skin cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer, renal cancer, and stomach cancer.
  • the treatment may be used alone or in conjunction with other treatments
  • a disease may be caused by DNA damage (e.g ., mutation) in genes that regulate cell growth and division. Cancer may cause the body to produce abnormal proteins, overproduction or under-production of protein.
  • over-expression of cancer protein in the present invention may be detected either from levels of GASP- 1 protein, peptide fragments thereof, or its nucleic acid .
  • GASP- 1 or its peptide fragments may be detected in tissues, cells, cell membrane, cytoplasm, cell extract, or biological fluid (such as blood, serum, urine) .
  • GASP- 1 nucleic acids may be detected from mRNA encoding GASP- 1, either directly or indirectly (e.g . via cDNA derived therefrom) .
  • the amount of GASP- 1 cDNA in a sample may be determined by microarray or PCR array.
  • the expression levels of GASP- 1 and peptide fragments thereof may be used as a diagnostic tool or biomarker that relates to the detection and progression of breast cancer and many other cancers.
  • a further aspect of the invention relates to the therapeutic targeting of the GASP- 1 and fragments thereof for the purposes of inhibiting progression and spread of cancer.
  • the invention provides a method for detecting early stage cancer in a biological sample from an individual comprising assessing the level of expression of GASP- 1 or peptide fragments thereof.
  • breast cancer is a model system because its progression steps also occur in many other malignant cancers of epithelial tissues (carcinomas). Examples of the carcinomas are lung, prostate, colon, pancreatic cancers, etc.
  • the very first steps leading to breast cancer are the so-called benign conditions which cover broadly any non-cancerous breast abnormality. Some types of benign breast conditions are linked to higher breast cancer risk, while others are not. Benign conditions are further divided into three general groups, based on whether the cells are multiplying (proliferative) and whether there are abnormal cells (atypia).
  • Proliferative lesions without atypia slightly increase cancer risk because these conditions are linked with the growth of cells in the ducts or lobules of the breast tissue.
  • Proliferative lesions with atypia (atypical hyperplasia), on the
  • Dysplasia is the earliest
  • Dysplasia can be low grade or high grade which is carcinoma in situ.
  • carcinoma in situ meaning "cancer in place”
  • epithelial cells In carcinoma in situ (meaning "cancer in place"), epithelial cells have lost their tissue identity and have reverted back to a primitive cell form that grows rapidly and with abnormal regulation for the tissue type. However, this form of cancer remains localized
  • Stage I Stage IV
  • Stage IV also referred to as late stage cancer
  • Table 1 summarizes the stages.
  • the primary (original) cancer is 2 cm or less in diameter and has not spread to the lymph nodes.
  • the primary tumor is between 2 and 5 cm in
  • the primary tumor is between 2 and 5 cm in diameter and has spread to the axillary (underarm) lymph nodes; or the primary tumor is over 5 cm and has not spread to the lymph nodes.
  • the primary breast cancer of any kind that has spread to the axillary (underarm) lymph nodes and to axillary tissues.
  • the primary breast cancer is any size, has lo attached itself to the chest wall, and has spread to the pectoral (chest) lymph nodes.
  • Stage IV the primary cancer has spread out of the breast to other parts of the body (such as bone, lung, liver, brain).
  • the treatment of Stage IV breast cancer focuses on extending survival time and relieving symptoms.
  • GASP-1 is either not i s expressed or is only very minimally expressed.
  • a surprisingly 4 to 6-fold over-expression of GASP-1 levels has occurred even in the benign (precancerous) stage when compared to normal adjacent tissues from the same patients.
  • GASP-1 over-expression further increases and reaches about 8-fold over-expression when the benign (precancerous) conditions are progressed to the first detectable pre-cancerous stage by pathologists
  • triple-negative breast cancer also is unlikely to respond to medications that target HER2, such as Herceptin® (chemical name: trastuzumab) or Tykerb® (chemical name: lapatinib). In addition, triple-negative breast cancer tends to be more aggressive
  • GASP-1 was highly expressed in invasive ductal carcinoma which is a very late stage 5 breast cancer (Chang et al. 2009).
  • the over-expression of GASP- 1 was also found in late stages of many other cancers including brain, bladder, liver, lung and other tumor tissues. It was not known from these results at what stage the over-expression of GASP-1 occurs and it was not expected that the over-expression occurred during early stage cancer.
  • the present inventors have now surprisingly found that GASP-1 over-expression starts at very i o early stage cancers.
  • GASP-1 is critically important in cancer development because it is involved in recycling many G protein receptors that are required for continuous (uncontrolled) cell growth. G protein receptors recognize signaling molecules such as growth factors, cytokines, estrogen, etc., which tell the cells to grow continuously. Cancer cells require more GASP-
  • GASP-1 controls the number of receptors available for the cancer cell. As cancer progresses more GASP-1 molecules are required. In a way, GASP-1 can be considered as a "master regulator" of signal transduction processes.
  • 25 can be caused by over-expression of a protein that regulates the availability of G protein- coupled receptors.
  • GASP-1 is a general marker for very early cancer
  • the present invention provides methods not only the detection but also treatment of many cancers at their earliest stages of development.
  • the assessment may be an immunoassay based test.
  • ELISA immunoassay based test.
  • labeled antibodies may be used in an immunoassay based test.
  • GASP-1 peptide fragments including a specific fragment containing 16-amino acid sequence (EEASPEAVAGVGFESK (SEQ ID NO: 1)), into the blood.
  • the 16-amino acid GASP-1 fragment constitutes only about 1% of the entire protein and its amino acid sequence is unique because no other human proteins contain this particular sequence. It is highly desirable to detect this or other peptide fragments from the over-expressed GASP-1 protein.
  • Sandwich-type ELISA diagnostic kits have been commonly used to detect larger disease protein biomarkers but not short peptides like the ones discovered by the present inventors.
  • two antibodies against two different regions of a protein are required.
  • the first antibody (capture antibody) on a support with high affinity for one region of the protein captures the protein and the second antibody (detection antibody) recognizes a different epitope of the same protein.
  • the present invention preferably deals with very short peptide fragments (e.g., between about 6 to about 30 amino acids, between about 10 to about 25 amino acids, or between about 15 to about 20 amino acids), it will generally not be possible to produce two antibodies recognizing different regions of a small peptide fragment, such as the 16 amino acid peptide sequence described above.
  • very short peptide fragments e.g., between about 6 to about 30 amino acids, between about 10 to about 25 amino acids, or between about 15 to about 20 amino acids
  • FIG. 1 panel A shows a representative standard for detecting GASP- 1 or GASP-1 peptide fragment.
  • Competitive ELISAs of the present invention are highly sensitive and can detect less than 1 nanogram/ml GASP-1 peptide fragment levels in cancer patient sera . Because this "competitive ELISA" is so sensitive, it can measure the presence of a minute quantity of GASP-1 peptide fragment in blood.
  • Alternative methods of the present invention comprise detecting an amount of GASP- 1 nucleic acids present in a biological sample of the subject.
  • the nucleic acids may comprise GASP-1 mRNA or GASP-1 cDNA.
  • GASP-1 mRNA can be detected by RT-qPCR or qPCR and GASP-1 cDNA can be detected by Immuno-PCR (IPCR).
  • IPCR Immuno-PCR
  • the amount of GASP-1 cDNA in the sample may be determined by microarray or PCR array.
  • the step of determining the amount of GASP-1 mRNA in a test sample may comprise exposing the test sample to a nucleic acid molecule which hybridizes to a GASP- 1 mRNA under stringent conditions.
  • the methods may employ a probe of around 30 nucleotides or longer in 0.5 M NaHP0 4 /7% SDS/1 mM EDTA at 65°C.
  • the stringent conditions may comprise washing in 0.1% SDS/0.1 X SSC at 68°C,
  • the step of determining the amount of GASP-1 mRNA in the test sample entails a specific amplification of the mRNA and then quantification of the amplified product e.g. via RT-qPCR or qPCR analysis.
  • the expression level of GASP-1 mRNA may be compared to a control e.g. a human cancer, and a normal non-cancer individual; or a human cancer cell line, and a human non-cancer cell line.
  • the invention provides another method for detecting cancer or diseases at early stage in a biological sample from an individual, the method comprising assessing the level of cDNA in a biological tissue sample using Immuno-PCR (IPCR).
  • IPCR Immuno-PCR
  • the quantitative immuno-PCR (IPCR) technology combines the advantages of flexible and robust immunoassays with the exponential signal amplification power of PCR.
  • the IPCR allows one to detect antigens using specific antibodies labeled with double- stranded DNA.
  • the label is used for signal generation by quantitative PCR.
  • IPCR typically leads to a 10- to 1,000-fold increase in sensitivity compared to an analogous enzyme-amplified immunoassay.
  • a standard protocol of IPCR assay to detect specific antigen using a sandwich immunoassay combined with real-time PCR readout is described here. The protocol includes initial immobilization of the antigen, and coupling of this antigen with antibody-DNA conjugates is then carried out.
  • nucleotides, specific primers and a polymerase are added and the marker is amplified by PCR for signal generation.
  • the number of PCR amplicons produced is proportional to the initial quantity of antigen to be detected.
  • GASP-1 protein and GASP-1 peptide fragment levels increase during the progression of cancer, they can also be used to monitor the progression of cancer.
  • expression of GASP-1 or peptide fragments thereof may be used as a biomarker for choosing or monitoring specific therapeutic regimens and chemotherapeutic combinations.
  • An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for monitoring the progression of cancer in a subject comprising (i) detecting the expression level of GASP-1 in the subject at a first time point (e.g., by detecting an amount of GASP-1 peptide fragments, such as fragments comprising the sequence EEASPEAVAGVGFESK, present in a biological sample of the subject during early stage cancer), (ii) detecting the expression level of GASP-1 in the subject at one or more subsequent time points, and (iii) comparing the expression level of GASP-1 detected at the one or more subsequent time points with the expression level of GASP-1 detected at the first time point.
  • a first time point e.g., by detecting an amount of GASP-1 peptide fragments, such as fragments comprising the sequence EEASPEAVAGVGFESK, present in a biological sample of the subject during early stage cancer
  • detecting the expression level of GASP-1 in the subject at one or more subsequent time points e.g., by detecting an amount of GASP-1
  • a higher expression level of GASP-1 detected in step (ii) compared to the expression level of GASP-1 detected in step (i) indicates progression of the cancer
  • a lower expression level of GASP-1 detected in step (ii) compared to the expression level of GASP-1 detected in step (i) indicates regression of the cancer.
  • the effectiveness of a disease treatment may be monitored by comparing the expression levels of GASP-1 before, during, and/or after treatment regimens.
  • the cancer may be determined as progressing if the expression level increases over time, whereas the cancer may not be progressing if the expression level remains constant or decreases with time.
  • the first time point may comprise a time point before a treatment regimen has begun (or at the time a treatment regimen is initiated) and the one or more subsequent time points may comprise time points during the course of the treatment regimen and/or after the treatment regimen has ended.
  • the methods described above may alternatively comprise comparing GASP-1 expression levels in a subject to
  • predetermined reference data which correlate expression levels of GASP-1 with various stages of cancer, in order to determine the subject's stage of cancer.
  • the methods may be used to monitor the risk of cancer and cancer progression in the patient over time.
  • the methods may also be used for determining whether a therapeutic treatment should be continued, or for monitoring the efficacy of an anticancer therapy which the patient is undergoing.
  • kits for assessing or aiding in any of the diagnostic or prognostic methods described above, e.g., for measuring the presence of or amount of GASP-1 or peptide fragments thereof in a sample.
  • An embodiment of the present invention provides a kit for determining whether cancer (e.g., early stage cancer) is present in a subject comprising a binding agent selective for a GASP-1 peptide fragment or a GASP-1 nucleic acid.
  • the binding agent is preferably an antibody and the antibody is preferably selective for a GASP-1 peptide fragment comprising or consisting of the sequence EEASPEAVAGVGFESK.
  • a test kit may comprise a nucleic acid molecule comprising at least 6 contiguous nucleotides of the GASP-1 nucleotide sequence.
  • the kit is useful for detecting mRNA corresponding to the nucleic acid molecule in a biological sample of the subject.
  • the nucleic acid may be one which directly analyzes mRNA by Northern or other blot analyses, or one (e.g. a primer) which can be used in enzymatic amplification and analysis of mRNA.
  • the kit may comprise a control sample comprising cells or biological fluid selected from the group consisting of a human cancer, and a human non-cancer.
  • the antibody may be one useful for fluorescence microscopy, Western blot analysis, fluorescence activated cell sorting, immunohistochemical or other immunoassay.
  • GASP-1 GASP-1, peptide fragments thereof or their interacting partners may be useful in the treatment of cancer.
  • treatment refers to any administration of a inhibitor of GASP-1, peptide fragments thereof, or an antagonist that interferes with GASP-1 (or its peptide fragments) interaction with its partners in order to alleviate the severity of cancer in a subject, and may include treatment intended to cure the disease, provide relief from the symptoms of the disease, and/or to inhibit or arrest the
  • a method for inhibiting cancer progression comprises contacting the tumor derived therefrom with a GASP-1 inhibitor or antagonist that interferes with GASP-1 (or its peptide fragments) interaction with their partners.
  • serum albumin complexes from Stage I breast cancer were separated using 2-D HPLE.
  • the protein complex spots were subjected to on-membrane digestion with trypsin and the tryptic peptides identified by liquid chromatography with tandem spectrometry sequencing of individual peptides (LC/MS/MS). Protein identities were determined from database searches of virtual tryptic peptide data bases or fragmentation spectra of tryptic peptides.
  • the Wistar Proteomic Facility in Philadelphia has developed a tryptic digest procedure for analyzing proteins and their fragments present in serum albumin complexes on PVDF membrane.
  • GASP-1 G-protein coupled receptor-associated sorting protein 1
  • Example 2 Development of "Competitive ELISA” for quantification of GASP-1 and its peptide fragments in patient serum.
  • over-expression of GASP-1 in cancer tissues leads to the secretion and accumulation of a specific fragment containing 16-amino acid sequence (EEASPEAVAGVGFESK (SEQ ID NO: 1)) of this protein into the blood.
  • the GASP-1 fragment constitutes only about 1% of the entire protein and its amino acid sequence is
  • the antibody was diluted 1 : 100 000 (1 ul antibody + 99 ul TBST-High salt, take 20 ul and dilute into 20 ml TBST high salt.). After addition of the antibody solution, the final concentrations of standard solution become 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 10 and 20 ng/ml. The wells were shaken overnight at 4° C.
  • Figure 1 panel A shows a representative standard for detecting GASP-1 or GASP-1 peptide fragment.
  • the competitive ELISA is highly sensitive and can detect less than 1 nanogram/ml GASP-1 peptide levels in cancer patient sera. Because this "Competitive ELISA" is so sensitive it can measure the presence of a minute quantity of GASP- 1 peptide fragments in blood .
  • Example 3 GASP- 1 peptide levels are elevated in sera of patients with brain, lung and breast cancer as compared to those with no cancer.
  • Example 4 GASP- 1 peptide levels are elevated in sera of patients with liver cancer but not liver cirrhosis.
  • Example 5 Examples of GASP- 1 stained tumors and their respective normal tissue
  • GASP- 1 is highly over-expressed in brain, breast, colon, liver, lung, pancreatic, prostate cancers when compared to their respective normal tissues as assessed by immunohistochemical sta ining of tissue arrays using this peptide specific GASP- 1 antibody.
  • GASP- 1 was expressed at 6 to 8 fold more in the cancer when compared to normal tissue.
  • GASP- 1 is significantly elevated in benign, pre-cancerous breast lesions, and breast tumors as compared to normal tissue.
  • GASP-1 is highly expressed in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer as well in early stage breast cancers such as ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and hyper-proliferative lesions such as atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH).
  • DCIS ductal carcinoma in situ
  • ADH hyper-proliferative lesions
  • ADH atypical ductal hyperplasia
  • FIG. 4 shows that when compared to the adjacent normal tissues, there is about 6-fold increase in GASP-1 staining in triple-negative breast cancer by immunohistochemical staining of tissue arrays using this peptide specific GASP-1 antibody. This finding suggests that GASP-1 is a potential new tumor biomarker for triple-negative breast cancer. A similar increase in other breast cancer (ADH/DCIS and carcinomas) was also observed. Our results further suggest that GASP- 1 represents a new target for breast cancer therapy. Antagonizing the receptor recycling activity of GASP-1 could block important breast cancer GPCR's such as GPCR30, which have been shown to positively impact breast cancer progression (Thomas et al., 2006; Filardo et al., 2007).
  • Example 8 GASP-1 is over-expressed in pancreatic cancer and hyperplastic and inflammatory lesions of the pancreas as compared to normal pancreas.
  • pancreatic cancer In pancreatic cancer, there was a statistically significant difference in the staining of normal pancreatic tissue which showed little or no staining as compared to the pancreatic carcinoma groups and hyperplastic (early stage cancer) and inflammatory pancreatic disease (which is associated with cancer progression).
  • Figure 5 shows that in pancreatic cancer an increase in GASP-1 expression was seen in hyperplastic and inflammatory lesions as compared to normal tissue.
  • GASP-1 is a biomarker of cancer pathoetiology, and a potential therapeutic target
  • the effect of GASP-1 gene silencing was evaluated in a prototypical breast cancer cell line.
  • the MB-231 cell line is an example of a highly invasive estrogen receptor negative metastatic breast cancer cell line.
  • Four GASP-l-specific shRNA expression vectors in pGFP-V-RS plasmid were constructed by Origene using
  • Corthals GL, Wasinger VC, Hochstrasser DF, Sanchez JC The dynamic range of protein expression : A challenge for proteomic research. (2000) Electrophoresis 21 : 1104-1115. Dennis MS, et al. Albumin binding as a general strategy for improving the
  • GASP-1 a potential biomarker in breast cancer. Exp Mol Pathol. 91, 608-13.

Abstract

L'invention concerne un procédé de détermination de savoir si un cancer de stade précoce est présent chez un sujet, comprenant la détection du niveau d'expression de GASP-1 chez le sujet par détection de la quantité de fragments de peptide GASP- 1 présente dans un échantillon biologique du sujet. Parce que le cancer peut être détecté à un stade précoce, le ciblage thérapeutique peut être amorcé avant que le cancer n'atteigne un stade plus tardif (par exemple avant le développement de symptômes apparents). Une méthode de traitement du cancer à un stade précoce chez un sujet comprend l'administration au sujet d'une quantité efficace d'un inhibiteur de GASP-1 pour inhiber la progression du cancer de stade précoce en un cancer de stade plus tardif. Un ELISA compétitif pouvant détecter des fragments de peptide GASP-1 à une concentration inférieure à 1 ng/ml a été développé.
PCT/US2013/039430 2012-05-04 2013-05-03 Protéine de tri 1 associée à un récepteur couplé à une protéine g en tant que biomarqueur du cancer WO2013166364A1 (fr)

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CA2871996A1 (fr) 2013-11-07

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