Human carboxypeptidases and polynucleotides encoding the same

Details Human carboxypeptidases and polynucleotides encoding the same Human carboxypeptidases and polynucleotides encoding the same

2002-07-19

2004-08-24

Slobodyansky, Elizabeth (Department: 1652)

Chemistry: molecular biology and microbiology

Vector, per se

C435S252300, C435S254110, C435S325000, C435S348000, C435S366000, C435S226000, C536S023200

Reexamination Certificate

active

06780640

ABSTRACT:

The present invention relates to the discovery, identification, and characterization of novel human polynucleotides encoding proteins that share sequence similarity with animal proteases. The invention encompasses the described polynucleotides, host cell expression systems, the encoded proteins, fusion proteins, polypeptides and peptides, antibodies to the encoded proteins and peptides, and genetically engineered animals that either lack or over express the disclosed genes, antagonists and agonists of the proteins, and other compounds that modulate the expression or activity of the proteins encoded by the disclosed sequences that can be used for diagnosis, drug screening, clinical trial monitoring and the treatment of physiological disorders.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Proteases are enzymes that cleave polypeptide sequences. Carboxypeptidases are proteases that hydrolyze the peptide bonds at the carboxy-terminal end of a chain of amino acids and have been identified in a wide variety of cell types and animals. Peptidases have been implicated in a wide variety of biological processes including, but not limited to, digestion, coagulation, diabetes, prostate cancer, gynecological disorders, neurological disorders, and obesity. Accordingly, peptidases represent significant targets for regulatory control of a variety of physiological processes and pathways.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the discovery, identification, and characterization of nucleotides that encode novel human proteins, and the corresponding amino acid sequences of these proteins. The novel human proteins (NHPs) described for the first time herein share structural similarity with animal proteases, and especially carboxypeptidases. As such, the described NHPs represent a new family of protease-related proteins with a range of homologues and orthologs that transcend phyla and a broad range of species.
The novel human nucleic acid sequences described herein, encode proteins/open reading frames (ORFs) of 47, 88, 247, 92, 437, and 350 amino acids in length (see SEQ ID NOS: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 respectively).
The invention also encompasses agonists and antagonists of the described NHPs, including small molecules, large molecules, mutant NHPs, or portions thereof that compete with native NHP, peptides, and antibodies, as well as nucleotide sequences that can be used to inhibit the expression of the described NHPs (e.g., antisense and ribozyme molecules, and gene or regulatory sequence replacement constructs) or to enhance the expression of the described NHP sequences (e.g., expression constructs that place the described sequence under the control of a strong promoter system), and transgenic animals that express a NHP transgene, or “knock-outs” (which can be conditional) that do not express a functional NHP.
Further, the present invention also relates to processes of identifying compounds that modulate, i.e., act as agonists or antagonists, of NHP expression and/or NHP product activity that utilize purified preparations of the described NHPs and/or NHP product, or cells expressing the same. Such compounds can be used as therapeutic agents for the treatment of any of a wide variety of symptoms associated with biological disorders or imbalances.
DESCRIPTION OF THE SEQUENCE LISTING AND FIGURES
The Sequence Listing provides the sequences of 6 protease-related ORFs that encode the described NHP amino acid sequences.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The NHPs, described for the first time herein, are novel proteins that are expressed in, inter alia, human cell lines, and human brain, pituitary, spinal cord, thymus, spleen, lymph node, bone marrow, trachea, lung, kidney, prostate, testis, thyroid, adrenal gland, stomach, small intestine colon, skeletal muscle, uterus, mammary gland, bladder, and cervix cells. The described sequences were compiled from gene trapped cDNAs and a clone isolated from a human prostate cDNA library (Edge Biosystems, Gaithersburg, Md.). The present invention encompasses the nucleotides presented in the Sequence Listing, host cells expressing such nucleotides, the expression products of such nucleotides, and: (a) nucleotides that encode mammalian homologs of the described genes, including the specifically described NHPs, and the NHP products; (b) nucleotides that encode one or more portions of the NHPs that correspond to functional domains, and the polypeptide products specified by such nucleotide sequences, including but not limited to the novel regions of any active domain(s); (c) isolated nucleotides that encode mutant versions, engineered or naturally occurring, of the described NHPs in which all or a part of at least one domain is deleted or altered, and the polypeptide products specified by such nucleotide sequences, including but not limited to soluble proteins and peptides in which all or a portion of the signal sequence in deleted; (d) nucleotides that encode chimeric fusion proteins containing all or a portion of a coding region of an NHP, or one of its domains (e.g., a receptor/ligand binding domain, accessory protein/self-association domain, etc.) fused to another peptide or polypeptide; or (e) therapeutic or diagnostic derivatives of the described polynucleotides such as oligonucleotides, antisense polynucleotides, ribozymes, dsRNA, or gene therapy constructs comprising a sequence first disclosed in the Sequence Listing.
As discussed above, the present invention includes: (a) the human DNA sequences presented in the Sequence Listing (and vectors comprising the same) and additionally contemplates any nucleotide sequence encoding a contiguous NHP open reading frame (ORF) that hybridizes to a complement of a DNA sequence presented in the Sequence Listing under highly stringent conditions, e.g., hybridization to filter-bound DNA in 0.5 M NaHPO
4
, 7% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), 1 mM EDTA at 65° C., and washing in 0.1×SSC/0.1% SDS at 68° C. (Ausubel F. M. et al., eds., 1989, Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, Vol. I, Green Publishing Associates, Inc., and John Wiley & Sons, Inc., NY, at p. 2.10.3) and encodes a functionally equivalent gene product. Additionally contemplated are any nucleotide sequences that hybridize to the complement of the DNA sequence that encode and express an amino acid sequence presented in the Sequence Listing under moderately stringent conditions, e.g., washing in 0.2×SSC/0.1% SDS at 42° C. (Ausubel et al., 1989, supra), yet still encode a functionally equivalent NHP product. Functional equivalents of a NHP include naturally occurring NHPs present in other species and mutant NHPs whether naturally occurring or engineered (by site directed mutagenesis, gene shuffling, directed evolution as described in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,837,458). The invention also includes degenerate nucleic acid variants of the disclosed NHP polynucleotide sequences.
Additionally contemplated are polynucleotides encoding NHP ORFs, or their functional equivalents, encoded by polynucleotide sequences that are about 99, 95, 90, or about 85 percent similar to corresponding regions of SEQ ID NO:1 (as measured by BLAST sequence comparison analysis using, for example, the GCG sequence analysis package using default parameters).
The invention also includes nucleic acid molecules, preferably DNA molecules, that hybridize to, and are therefore the complements of, the described NHP gene nucleotide sequences. Such hybridization conditions may be highly stringent or less highly stringent, as described above. In instances where the nucleic acid molecules are deoxyoligonucleotides (“DNA oligos”), such molecules are generally about 16 to about 100 bases long, or about 20 to about 80, or about 34 to about 45 bases long, or any variation or combination of sizes represented therein that incorporate a contiguous region of sequence first disclosed in the Sequence Listing. Such oligonucleotides can be used in conjunction with the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to screen libraries, isolate clones, and prepare cloning and sequencing templates, etc.
Alternatively,

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Human carboxypeptidases and polynucleotides encoding the same does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

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

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3306193