Drug – bio-affecting and body treating compositions – Antigen – epitope – or other immunospecific immunoeffector – Amino acid sequence disclosed in whole or in part; or...
Reexamination Certificate
1993-11-19
2002-05-14
Navarro, Mark (Department: 1645)
Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions
Antigen, epitope, or other immunospecific immunoeffector
Amino acid sequence disclosed in whole or in part; or...
C424S190100, C424S192100, C424S234100, C424S248100, C435S007320, C530S300000, C530S350000, C530S403000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06387372
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to polypeptides and peptides, particularly recombinant ones, which can be used for the diagnosis of paratuberculosis in cattle and possibly of Crohn's disease in human beings. The invention also relates to a process for preparing the above-said polypeptides and peptides, which are in a state of biological purity such that they can be used as part of the active principle in the preparation of vaccines against paratuberculosis.
It also relates to nucleic acids coding for said polypeptides and peptides.
Furthermore, the invention relates to the in vitro diagnostic methods and kits using the above-said polypeptides and peptides and to the vaccines containing the above-said polypeptides and peptides as active principle against paratuberculosis.
By “recombinant polypeptides or peptides” it is to be understood that it relates to any molecule having a polypeptidic chain liable to be produced by genetic engineering, through transcription and translation, of a corresponding DNA sequence under the control of appropriate regulation elements within an efficient cellular host. Consequently, the expression “recombinant polypeptides” such as is used herein does not exclude the possibility for the polypeptides to comprise other groups, such as glycosylated groups.
The term “recombinant” indeed involves the fact that the polypeptide has been produced by genetic engineering, particularly because it results from the expression in a cellular host of the corresponding nucleic acid sequences which have previously been introduced into an expression vector used in said host.
Nevertheless, it must be understood that the polypeptides or the peptides of the invention can be produced by a different process, for instance by classical chemical synthesis according to methods used in the protein synthesis or by proteolytic cleavage of larger molecules.
The expression “biologically pure” or “biological purity” means on the one hand a grade of purity such that the polypeptides can be used for the production of vaccinating compositions and on the other hand the absence of contaminants, more particularly of natural contaminants.
Paratuberculosis (Johne's disease) has been described as one of the most serious diseases affecting the world cattle industry. This mycobacteriosis produced by
M. paratuberculosis
is characterized by an ileocoecal enteritis leading successively to emaciation, dysentery, cachexy and death (Chiodini R. J. et al., 1984, “Ruminant paratuberculosis (Johne's disease): the current status and future prospects”, Cronell Vet. 74:218-262). Histological examination shows oedema, infiltration and thickening of the ileal mucosa, and hypertrophy and necrosis of intestinal lymphnodes. A miliary syndrome with diffused parenchima granuloma in liver, spleen and lungs is not infrequent. The high contagiousness of this disease is due to excretion of large numbers of bacteria from the intestinal tract: contaminated pastures propagate the infection, rapidly producing live-stocks wherein infected animals represent a large part of the population. Chronical dysentery is an advanced stage of the disease, for epidemiological data suggest that the subclinical cases, with little sign of intestinal alteration correspond to the majority of infected animals and frequently to a large proportion of a live-stock population.
Diagnosis of paratuberculosis is essential, especially in the absence of clinical symptoms: it leads to identification of hidden bacterial shedders and avoids propagation of infection. Unfortunately, diagnostic indicators for early stages of the disease are missing. In fact, identification of the etiological agent (a slow grower) is a lengthy process, and histological examination of biopsy material is difficult and expensive. More interesting appear to be the immunological procedures for analysis of humoral immune reactions (Brugère-Picoux J., 1987, “Le diagnostic de la paratuberculose chez les ruminants”, Rec. Méd. Vét. 163:539-546 Colgrave J. S. et al., 1989, “Paratuberculosis in cattle: a comparison of three serologic tests with results of fecal culture”, Veterinary Microbiology 19:183-187). Although complement fixation and hemagglutination tests apparently lack both sensitivity and specificity, immunoenzymometric methods for evaluation of antimycobacterial antibodies seem to be more promising (Abbas B. et al., 1983, “Isolation of specific peptides from
Mycobacterium paratuberculosis
protoplasm and their use in an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay for the detection of paratuberculosis (Johne's disease) in cattle”, Am. J. Vet. Res. 44:2229-2236; Colgrave J. S. et al., 1989, “Paratuberculosis in cattle: a comparison of three serologic tests with results of fecal culture” Veterinary Microbiology, 19:183-187; Yokomizo Y. et al., 1983, “Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of bovine immunoglobulin Gl antibody to a protoplasmic antigen of
Mycobacterium paratuberculosis
” Am. J. Vet. Res. 44:2205-2207; Yokomizo Y. et al., 1985, “A method for avoiding false-positive reactions in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the diagnosis of bovine paratuberculosis” Japan, J. Vet. Sci. 47:111-119).
Moreover, since slaughtering of cattle affected by tuberculosis (caused by
M. bovis
and/or
M. tuberculosis
), but not of those with paratuberculosis, is compulsory in Occidental countries, a distinction at the immunological level between the two mycobacterial diseases is essential. Moreover,
M. paratuberculosis
is known to be genetically close-related to
M. avium
(Chiodini R. J. et al., 1989, “The genetic relationship between
Mycobacterium paratuberculosis
and the
M. avium
complex” Acta Leprol. 7:249-251; Hurley S. S. et al., 1988, “Deoxyribonucleic acid-relatedness of
Mycobacterium paratuberculosis
to others members of the family Mycobacteriaceae” Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 38:143-146), which is a possible host of the intestinal tract of ruminants.
Taking into account the cross reactivity between
M. paratuberculosis
and many other mycobacteria, it was a priori a difficult approach to find an antigen containing specific epitopes liable to be used as reagents for the diagnosis of paratuberculosis, said reagents having no cross reactivity with other close related mycobacteria.
In addition to the above-mentioned aspects relative to paratuberculosis in cattle,
M. paratuberculosis
has been found to play an etiologic role in at least some cases of Crohn's disease in human.
The disease originally described by Crohn and coworkers was a chronical ileitis producing hyperplastic granulomata of the intestine and lymphnodes. The syndrome presently known as Crohn's disease entails inflammatory alterations of different organs of the digestive tract (month, larynx, esophagus, stomach, ileum and colon). Segments of the motive apparatus (joints, muscles and bones) can also be involved. Isolation of mycobacteria from patients affected by the Crohn's disease has been repeatedly related: in several instances isolates were identified as
M. paratuberculosis.
The induction by these isolates of a syndrome mimicking Crohn's disease in laboratory animals and primates has been successful. In a recent review article (Chiodini R. J., 1989, “Crohn's disease and the mycobacterioses: a review and comparison of two disease entities”, Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 2:90-117), Chiodini suggests this syndrome to be the expression of several pathological entities and concludes, that, if Crohn's disease has a mycobacterial etiology, the most likely agent would be
M. paratuberculosis.
At this present time, larger epidemiological investigation with an ELISA based on a specific protein of
M. paratuberculosis
is expected to help to solve the problem of the etiology of this enteritis resembling in many respects the Johne's disease of cattle.
The expression “cattle” means ruminants, such as bovines, sheeps, goats, cervidae, but also include some non ruminant animals which may also be infected by Johne's disease such as monkeys and horses.
An aspect
Cocito Carlo
Coene Marc
De Kesel Myriam
Gilot Philippe
Merchant & Gould P.C.
N.V. Innogenetics S.A.
Navarro Mark
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