Chemistry: natural resins or derivatives; peptides or proteins; – Proteins – i.e. – more than 100 amino acid residues – Blood proteins or globulins – e.g. – proteoglycans – platelet...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-25
2003-07-22
Caputa, Anthony C. (Department: 1642)
Chemistry: natural resins or derivatives; peptides or proteins;
Proteins, i.e., more than 100 amino acid residues
Blood proteins or globulins, e.g., proteoglycans, platelet...
C530S387700, C530S387100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06596851
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This patent application is a continuation-in-part from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/961,578 filed Oct. 31, 1997.
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a novel phosphofructokinase isozyme (iPFK-2) that is preferentially transcribed and translated in tumor cells. The discovery of this isozyme, together with its function, led to the discovery of its use as a diagnostic target, as a drug screening target, and antisense compounds that inhibit its translation in cellular cytosol as an anti-tumor treatment.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The glycolytic pathway is a fundamental anaerobic pathway for sugar metabolism in eukaryotic cells. Glycolysis has a dual role, to degrade sugars to generate energy (ATP) and to provide building blocks for synthetic reactions. The rate of conversion of glucose into pyruvate is regulated to meet these two major cellular needs. In glycolysis, the enzymes hexokinase, phosphofructokinase and pyruvate kinase catalyze irreversible reactions and are regulated enzymes for control points in glycolysis. The enzymes are regulated by reversible binding of allosteric effectors, by covalent modification and by transcriptional control to meet changing metabolic needs. Of the three control enzymes, phosphofructokinase is the most important control point in mammalian glycolysis.
In 1930, Warburg pointed out that tumors have a high rate of anaerobic glycolysis and that they do not show a decreased glycolytic rate at relatively high O
2
concentrations. This loss of regulatory control (i.e., the Pasteur effect) has come to be called the Warburg effect. Supplying tumor cells with glucose results in an inhibition of oxygen consumption, which magnifies the dependence on glucose for energy. Other cellular types do not normally show this effect since they maintain respiration from other substrates even in the presence of glucose. The question of why rapidly growing tumors have a marked tendency to convert the glycolytically-generated pyruvate to lactic acid in the cytosol instead of transporting into the mitochrondria for total oxidation has puzzled biochemists for years. The physiologic consequence of this altered metabolic behavior is clear. Tumor tissue generates a high degree metabolic inefficiency in the host, through an enhanced operation of energy-wasting processes, such as the Cori cycle between the tumor and the liver. As a result of the high glycolytic rate, a large amount of pyruvate is generated, together with an increase in the cytosolic NADH/NAD+ ratio, which favors the reduction of pyruvate to lactate through the action of lactate dehydrogenase. This is also supported by the low mitochondrial content of tumor cells which hampers the possibility of dissipating NADH through the action of the electron transfer chain and the low levels of NADH-shuttle systems found in a great number of tumors. The tumor cell becomes a lactate exporter in a similar way to some muscular fibers in anoxic situations. Although the precise role of the enhanced Cori cycle in a tumor-bearing states is not fully determined, it adds inefficiency to the host in a way that, instead of ATP formation of 36-38 molecules during the complete oxidation of glucose to CO
2
, a net loss of 4 ATPs can be expected when two three-carbon molecules are converted to one molecule of glucose.
A distinctive metabolic environment of cancer-bearing individuals has been described (Argilés and Azcón-Bieto,
Mol. Cell. Biochem
. 81:3-17, 1988). Tumor invasion upon a host has been metabolically characterized by a reduction of the metabolic efficiency of the host, muscular protein depletion, increased gluconeogenesis, and uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation. The net result is an energy imbalance leading to cachexia and eventual starvation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a cancer malignancy diagnostic assay comprising obtaining a sample of a body fluid or tissue (including, for instance, a sample of tumor tissue, performing a sequence identity assay to look for the presence of iPFK-2 specific sequences (SEQ ID NO.: 11). Preferably, the sequence identity assay is selected from the group consisting of PCR (polymerase chain reaction) assays, ELISA immunologic assays, hybridization assays, and combinations thereof. The present invention further provides an anticancer, anti-inflammatory and cachexia pharmaceutical composition comprising a specific antisense oligonucleotide to the inventive isolated iPFK-2 sequence and a pharmaceutically acceptable oligonucleotide carrier. Preferably, the antisense oligonucleotide is a 15-50 base oligonucleotide incorporating an oligonucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of: 5′-CCAACGGCATCTTCGCGGCT-3′ [SEQ ID NO: 2], 5′-GTCAGTTCCAACGGCATCTT-3′ [SEQ ID NO.: 4], and combinations thereof. The present invention further provides a therapeutic agent screening assay to screen for compounds having anti-tumor activity, comprising: (a) obtaining recombinant iPFK-2 having activity that forms fructose 2,6-bisphosphate from fructose 6-phosphate substrate; (b) adding candidate drug at various concentrations or no-drug control vehicle; and (c) assaying for fructose 2,6-bisphosphate as a measure of enzymatic activity. Preferably, the product assay is conducted by means of an enzymatic assay.
The present invention further provides a recombinant iPFK-2 polypeptide expressed by the cDNA sequence provided in SEQ ID NO. 11. The use of the iPFK-2 polypeptide, with known antibody techniques, including known monoclonal antibody techniques, further provides antibodies that specifically bind to iPFK-2. Preferably, such antibodies are monoclonal antibodies.
REFERENCES:
Li et al. (Sci. China C Life Sci., Aug. 1996, vol. 39, No. 4:abstract).*
Argilés, J.M., et al., “The Metabolic Environment of Cancer”, Mol. Cell. Biochem., vol. 81, pp. 3-17 (1988).
Sakai, A., et al., “Cloning of cDNA Encoding for a Novel Isozyme of Fructose 6-Phosphate,2-Kinase/Fructose 2,6-Bisphosphatase from Human Placenta”, J. Biochem, vol. 119, pp. 506-511 (1996).
Lange, A.J., et al., “Sequence of Human Liver 6-Phosphofructo-2-Kinase/Fructose-2,6-Bisphosphatase” Nucleic Acids Research, vol. 18, No. 12, p. 3652 (1990).
Greenberg, M.E., et al., “Control of the Decay of Labile Protooncogne and Cytokine mRNAs”, Control of Messenger RNA Stability, Belasco and Brawerman, Eds., Academic Press, New York, Chapter 9, pp. 199-218 (1993).
Caput, D., et al., “Identification of a Common Nucleotide Sequence in the 3′-Untranslated Region of mRNA Molecules Specifying Inflammatory Mediators”, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, vol. 83, pp. 1670-1674 (1986).
Shaw, G., et al., “A Conserved AU Sequence from the 3′Untranslated Region of GM-CSF mRNA Mediates Selective mRNA Degradation”, Cell, vol. 83, pp. 659-667 (1986).
Lee, W.M., et al., “Activation of the Transforming Potential of the Human fos Proto-Oncogene Requires Message Stabilization and Results in Increased Amounts of Partially Modified fos Protein”, Molecular and Cellular Biology, vol. 8, No. 12, pp. 5521-5527 (1988).
Rabbitts, P.H., et al., “Truncation of Exon 1 from the c-myc Gene Results in Prolonged c-myc mRNA Stability”, The EMBO Journal, vol. 4, No. 13B, pp. 3727-3733 (1985).
Plechaczyk, M., et al., “Posttranscieptional Mechanisms Are Responsible for Accumulation of Truncated c-myc RNAs in Murine Plasma Cell Tumors”, Cell, vol. 42, pp. 580-597 (1985).
Eigenbrodt, E., et al., “Glycolsis—One of the Keys to Cancer?” Trends in Pharmacology Science, vol. 1, pp. 240-245 (1980).
Sakata, J., et al., “Molecular Cloning of the DNA and Expression and Characterization of Rat Testes Fructose-6-Phosphate,2-Kinase:Fructose-2,6-Bisphosphatase”, The Journal of Biological Chemistry, vol. 266, No. 24, pp. 15764-15770 (1991).
Van Schaftingen, E., et al., “A Kinetic Study of Pyrophosphate:Fructose-6-Phosphate Phosphotransferase from Potato Tubers”, Eur. J. Bioch., vol. 129, pp. 191-195 (1982).
Van Schaftingen, E., “D-Fructose 2,6-Bisphosphate”, Met
Bucala Richard J.
Chesney Jason A.
Mitchell Robert A.
Caputa Anthony C.
Kelber Steven B.
Nickol Gary B.
Piper Rudnick LLP
The Picower Institute for Medical Research
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