Organic compounds -- part of the class 532-570 series – Organic compounds – Carbohydrates or derivatives
Reexamination Certificate
2002-08-05
2004-08-10
Housel, James C. (Department: 1648)
Organic compounds -- part of the class 532-570 series
Organic compounds
Carbohydrates or derivatives
C536S023500, C536S024100, C435S069100, C435S325000, C435S320100, C530S350000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06774224
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to purified and isolated polypeptides, the nucleic acids encoding the polypeptides, and processes for production of recombinant forms of the polypeptides. This invention is also directed to antibodies that specifically recognize the polypeptides, compositions containing the polypeptides, and to the use of these materials in various assays. In particular, the polypeptides, the nucleic acids encoding the polypeptides, and the antibodies are useful for the detection of human B cell lymphomas, enhancing the production of interferon &ggr; (IFN-&ggr;), enhancing the growth of NK cells, treating viral infections and tumors, and enhancing the activity of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs).
2. Description of Related Art
1. Lymphomas
The malignant lymphomas represent multiple diseases with diverse morphologic and clinical expressions. Morphologic classification schemes have been shown to be useful in delineating natural history, prognosis, and response to therapy. However, in some instances, distinctive morphologic entities may be very closely related clinically or biologically or both, whereas other diseases that share morphologic similarities may be clinically and biologically quite distinct. Thus, immunological methods have become essential tools for the diagnosis and classification of certain human tumors, particularly for leukemias and lymphomas.
More particularly, some patients carrying malignancies have been found to produce antibodies against tumor-associated or other malignant cell-associated surface determinants as well as against a variety of differentiation and other non-tumor antigens. Several very sensitive immunological procedures have been developed for the detection of such antibodies.
A variety of other markers of hematopoietic malignancies allows clinically valuable categorizations, which are not possible by morphological or histochemical parameters. These markers can also be detected using immunological procedures. One of the main advantages of these procedures over other methods for the measurement of tumor-associated markers is their high level of sensitivity, with the ability often to detect a substance at nanogram or even picogram levels. In addition, immunological tests afford the ability to discriminate among substances with closely related structures and thereby to identify tumor-associated analogs found in normal, nonmalignant states.
Many tumor-associated markers have been detected in the sera or other body fluids of patients with malignancies. A few of these markers have been sufficiently restricted to tumor-bearing individuals to aid in detection or differential diagnosis (or both) of malignant disease. However, most markers have been found to lack sufficient specificity for such applications, with an appreciable frequency of elevated marker levels in patients with nonmalignant diseases (i.e., false positive results).
In addition, malignant lymphomas are usually an admixture of a neoplastic element and normal elements or both. A cell suspension prepared from a malignant lymphoma will consist of a mixture of benign and malignant cells, and the malignant cells may not necessarily be in the majority. To determine the phenotype of malignant cells, it is necessary to identify those markers associated with neoplastic cells.
It should be evident that there exists a need in the art for the identification of additional cell surface markers associated with malignant conditions. In particular, there is a continuing need for cell surface markers associated with malignant lymphomas. The identification of specific cell surface markers associated with malignant lymphomas will aid the detection of malignancies associated with these markers.
2. NK Cells
One of the major types of circulating mononuclear cells is that of the natural killer, or NK, cell (M. Manoussaka et al.,
Journal of Immunology
158:112-119, 1997). NK cells are a cell type derived from bone marrow precursors (O. Haller et al.,
Journal of Experimental Medicine
145:1411-1420, 1977). NK cells appear to be closely related to T cells and the two cell types share many cell surface markers (M. Manoussaka et al., 1997). Although NK cells are cytotoxic cells as are some T cells, unlike T cells, NK cells do not express the T-cell receptor or CD3 components (P. Scott and G. Trinichieri,
Current Opinion in Immunology
7:34-40, 1995; G. Trinichieri,
Adv. Immunology
47:187-376, 1989). NK cells commonly express CD16 and CD56 antigens (K. Oshimi,
International Journal of Hematology
63:279-290, 1996). Similar to cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL), NK cells are capable of exerting a cytotoxic effect by lysing a variety of cell types (G. Trinichieri, 1989). NK cells are capable of exerting cytotoxicity in a non-MHC restricted fashion (E. Ciccione et al., J. Exp. Med. 172:47, 1990; A. Moretta et al., J. Exp. Med. 172:1589, 1990; and E. Ciccione et al., J. Exp. Med. 175:709).
NK cells mediate some of their functions through the secretion of cytokines, such as interferon &ggr; (IFN&ggr;), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factors (GM-CSFs), tumor necrosis factor &agr; (TNF-&agr;), macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF), interleukin-3 (IL-3), and IL-8 (P. Scott and G. Trinichieri, 1995).
Cytokines including IL-2, IL-12, TNF-&agr; and IL-1 can induce NK cells to produce cytokines (P. Scott and G. Trinichieri, 1995). IFN&ggr; and IL-2 are strong inducers of NK cell cytotoxic activity (G. Trinichieri et al.,
Journal of Experimental Medicine
160:1147-1169, 1984; G. Trinichieri and D. Santoli,
Journal of Experimental Medicine
147:1314-1333, 1977). NK cells can be stimulated and expanded in the presence of IL-2 (K. Oshimi,
International Journal of Hematology
63:279-290, 1996). IL-12 has been shown to induce cytokine production from T and NK cells, and augment NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity (M. Kobayashi et al.,
Journal of Experimental Medicine
170:827-846, 1989).
NK cells can lyse a variety of cell types, including normal stem cells, infected cells, and transformed cells (D. See et al.,
Scand. J. Immunol.
46:217-224, 1997). Cells that lack MHC class I are susceptible to NK cell-mediated lysis (H. Reyburn et al.,
Immunol. Rev.
155:119-125, 1997). The lysis of cells occurs through the action of cytoplasmic granules containing proteases, nucleases, and perforin (D. See et al., 1997). Antibodies directed against CD2 and CD11a inhibit the cytotoxic effect of NK cells (O. Ramos et al.,
J. Immunol.
142:4100-4104, 1989; C. Scott et al.,
J. Immunol.
142:4105-4112, 1989). NK cells can also lyse cells by antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (D. See et al., 1997).
NK cells have been shown to destroy both extracellular protozoa and the cells infected by protozoa (T. Scharton-Kersten and A. Sher,
Current Opinion in Immunology
9:44-51, 1997). In most instances, cytotoxic activity appears to be dependent upon lymphokine activation (T. Scharton-Kersten and A. Sher, 1997).
NK cells have been implicated as mediators of host defenses against infection in humans with varicella zoster, herpes simplex, cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C viruses (D. See et al., 1997). Many viruses induce NK cell cytotoxicity, including herpesvirus and cytomegalovirus (C. Biron,
Current Opinion in Immunology
9:24-34, 1997). The induction of NK cell activity is a result of the induction of IFN-&ggr; by viral infection, and NK cells are important in the early defense against many viral infections (C. Biron, 1997). The NK1+CD3-population of NK cells is the subset activated by viral infection (C. Biron, 1997). The response of NK cells to viral infection involves direct cytotoxicity and production of various cytokines such as IFN-&ggr; and TNF-&agr; (C. Biron, 1997).
A number of human lymphoproliferative disorders of NK cells are known. These include NK cell-lineage granular lymphocyte proliferative disorder (NK-GLPD), NK cell lymphoma, and acute leukemia of NK cell lineage (K. Oshimi,
International Journal of Hematology
63:279-
Armitage Richard Jeffrey
Cosman David J.
Fanslow, III William C.
Kubin Marek
Mullberg Jurgen
Fowler Kathleen
Henry Janis C.
Housel James C.
Immunex Corporation
Lucas Zachariah
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