Ama

Details Ama Ama

1999-03-19

2001-03-06

Navarro, Albert (Department: 1645)

Chemistry: molecular biology and microbiology

Micro-organism, tissue cell culture or enzyme using process...

Recombinant dna technique included in method of making a...

C435S252300, C435S320100, C435S325000, C536S023700

Reexamination Certificate

active

06197549

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to newly identified polynucleotides and polypeptides, and their production and uses, as well as their variants, agonists and antagonists, and their uses. In particular, the invention relates to polynucleotides and polypeptides of the aminoacylase family, as well as their variants, hereinafter referred to as “ama,” “ama polynucleotide(s),” and “ama polypeptide(s)” as the case may be.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is particularly preferred to employ Staphylococcal genes and gene products as targets for the development of antibiotics. The Staphylococci make up a medically, important genera of microbes. They are known to produce two types of disease, invasive and toxigenic. Invasive infections are characterized generally by abscess formation effecting both skin surfaces and deep tissues.
S. aureus
is the second leading cause of bacteremia in cancer patients. Osteomyelitis, septic arthritis, septic thrombophlebitis and acute bacterial endocarditis are also relatively common. There are at least three clinical conditions resulting from the toxigenic properties of Staphylococci. The manifestation of these diseases result from the actions of exotoxins as opposed to tissue invasion and bacteremia. These conditions include: Staphylococcal food poisoning, scalded skin syndrome and toxic shock syndrome.
The frequency of Staphylococcus aureus infections has risen dramatically in the past few decades. This has been attributed to the emergence of multiply antibiotic resistant strains and an increasing population of people with weakened immune systems. It is no longer uncommon to isolate
Staphylococcus aureus
strains which are resistant to some or all of the standard antibiotics. This phenomenon has created an unmet medical need and demand for new anti-microbial agents, vaccines, drug screening methods, and diagnostic tests for this organism.
Moreover, the drug discovery process is currently undergoing a fundamental revolution as it embraces “functional genomics,” that is, high throughput genome- or gene-based biology. This approach is rapidly superseding earlier approaches based on “positional cloning” and other methods. Functional genomics relies heavily on the various tools of bioinformatics to identify gene sequences of potential interest from the many molecular biology databases now available as well as from other sources. There is a continuing and significant need to identify and characterize further genes and other polynucleotides sequences and their related polypeptides, as targets for drug discovery.
N-acyl-L-amino acid aminohydrolases specifically cleave the acyl residues of N-acylated amino acids. These enzymes are metallopeptidases, activated by cobalt ions, and are members of the larger peptidase family M40. also known as the ANA/HIPO/HYUC family of hydrolases and have been found in both bacterial and plant species (e.g. Sakanyan V. Desmarez L, Legrain C, Charlier D, Mett I. Kochikyan A, Savchenko A, Boyen A. Falmagne P. Pierard A, & Glansdorff N., 1993. Gene cloning, sequence analysis, purification, and characterization of a thermostable aminoacylase from Bacillus stearothermophilus. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 59:3878-3888; Kempf B, Bremer E. 1996. A novel amidohydrolase gene from
Bacillus subtilis
cloning: DNA-sequence analysis and map position of amhX. FEMS Microbiology Letters 141:129-137). The discovery of a
Staphylococcus aureus
gene encoding an ama-like protein which is expressed in vivo implies that there is a role for this protein during infection.
Clearly, there exists a need for polynucleotides and polypeptides, such as the ama embodiments of the invention, that have a present benefit of, among other things, being useful to screen compounds for antimicrobial activity. Such factors are also useful to determine their role in pathogenesis of infection, dysfunction and disease. There is also a need for identification and characterization of such factors and their antagonists and agonists to find ways to prevent, ameliorate or correct such infection, dysfunction and disease.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to ama, in particular ama polypeptides and ama polynucleotides, recombinant materials and methods for their production. In another aspect, the invention relates to methods for using such polypeptides and polynucleotides, including treatment of microbial diseases, amongst others. In a further aspect, the invention relates to methods for identifying agonists and antagonists using the materials provided by the invention, and for treating microbial infections and conditions associated with such infections with the identified agonist or antagonist compounds. In a still further aspect, the invention relates to diagnostic assays for detecting diseases associated with microbial infections and conditions associated Keith such infections, such as assays for detecting ama 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 from reading the following descriptions and from reading the other parts of the present disclosure.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to ama polypeptides and polynucleotides as described in greater detail below. In particular, the invention relates to polypeptides and polynucleotides of a ama of
Staphylococcus aureus,
which is related by amino acid sequence homology to yhaA polypeptide. The invention relates especially to ama having the nucleotide and amino acid sequences set out in Table 1 as SEQ ID NO:1 or 3 and SEQ ID NO:2 or 4 respectively. Note that sequences recited in the Sequence Listing below as “DNA” represent an exemplification of the invention, since those of ordinary skill will recognize that such sequences can be usefully employed in polynucleotides in general, including ribopolynucleotides.
TABLE 1
ama Polynucleotide and Polypeptide Sequences
(A)
Staphylococcus aureus
ama polynucleotide sequence [SEQ ID NO: 1].
5′-

ATGAATCAACAATTAATTGAAGCTTTAAAATCTAAAGAAGACAAAATGATTGAGATCAGACGTTATTTAC

ATCAGCATCC

AGAATTATCTTTTCATGAAGATGAAACGGCGAAATACATCGCTGAATTTTACAAAGGTAAAGATGTGGAA

GTAGAAACGA

ATGTCGGACCACGTGGAATTAAAGTAACGATTGATTCAGGGAAACCTGGTAAAACATTAGCAATCCGTGC

AGACTTTGAC

GCATTACCCATTACTGAAGATACAGGATTATCTTTTGCATCACAAAATAAAGGTGTTATGCACGCATGTG

GTCACGATGC

ACATACAGCTTACATGCTTGTATTAGCAGAGACGCTTGCTGAAATGAAAGATAGTTTTACAGGAAAAGTC

GTTGTGATAC

ATCAACCAGCTGAAGAAGTACCACCAGGTGGTGCTAAAGCAATGATTGAAAATGGTGTATTAGACGGTGT

TGATCATGTA

TTAGGTGTACACGTCATGAGCACAATGAAAACAGGTAATGTGTATTACAGACCTGGTTATGTTCAAACAG

GACGCGCATT

CTTCACATTGAAAGTTCACGGTAAAGGTGGTCATGGTTCATCACCACATATGGGCAATGATGCCATTGTT

GCAGGTAGCT

ACTTCGTCACAGCGTTACAAACAGTTGTGTCTAGACGACTAAGTCCATTTGAGACCGGTGTTGTCACAAT

CGGTTCATTT

GACGGTAAAGGTCAATCCAATGTCATTAAAGATGTTGTTGAAATTGAAGGTGATGTACGTGGATTAACAG

ATGCTACAAA

AGCAACAATTGAAAAAGAAATTAAACGTTTATCAAAAGGATTAGAGGATATGTATGGTGTAACTTGCACC

TTAGAATATA

ACGATGATTATCCAGCATTATATAATGATCCAGAGTTTACTGAGTACGTGGCTAAGACGTTGAAAGAAGC

AAACCTTGAT

TTTGGTGTTGAAATGTGTGAACCACAACCACCTTCAGAAGACTTTGCATATTATGCTAAAGAACGTCCAA

GTGCCTTTAT

TTATACAGGTGCAGCTGTGGAAGATGGTGAAATTTACCCACATCATCATCCTAAATTTAACATTTCAGAA

AAATCATTAC

TTATTTCGGCAGAAGCTGTAGGGACAGTTGTTTTAGATTACCTTAAAGGAGATAACTAA-3′

(B)
Staphylococcus aureus
ama polypeptide sequence deduced from a
polynucleotide sequence in this table [SEQ ID NO:2].
NH
2
-

MNQQLIEALKSKEDKMIEIRRYLHQHPELSFHEDETAKYIAEFYKGKDVEVETNVGPRGIKVTIDSGKPG

KTLAIRADFD

ALPITEDTGLSFASQNKGVMHACGHDAHTAYMLVLAETLAEMKDSFTGKVVVIHQPAEEVPPGGAKAMIE

NGVLDGVDHV

LGVHVMSTMKTGNVYYRPGYVQTGRAFFTLKVHGKGGHGSSPHMGNDAIVAGSYFVTALQTVVSRRLSPF

ETGVVTIGSF

DGKGQSNVIKDWEIEGDVRGLTDATKATIEKEIKRLSKGLEDMYGVTCTLEYNDDYPALYNDPEFTEYV

AKTLKEANLD

FGVEMCEPQPPSEDFAYYAKERPSAFIYTGAAVEDGEIYPHHHPKFNISEKSLLISAEAVGTVVLDYLKG

DN-COOH

(C)
Staphylococcus aureus
ama ORF sequence [SEQ ID NO:3].
5′-

AGTGAACGGCGAAATAACATCGCTGAATTTTACAAAGGTAAAGATGTGGAAGTAGAAACGAATGTCGGAC

CACGTGGAAT

TAAAGTAACGATTGATTCAGGG

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Ama does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Ama, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Ama will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2493097