Tumour-specific animal proteins

Abstract

CASB7439 polypeptides and polynucleotides, immunogenic compositions comprising them and methods for producing such polypeptides by recombinant techniques are disclosed. Also disclosed are methods for utilizing CASB7439 polypeptides and polynucleotides in diagnostics, and vaccines for prophylactic and therapeutic treatment of cancers, particularly colorectal cancers, autoimmune diseases, and related conditions.

What is claimed:  
     
         1 . An immunogenic composition comprising an isolated polypeptide wherein the polypeptide comprises a member selected from the group consisting of 
 (a) an amino acid sequence which has at least 90% identity to SEQ ID NO:2;    (b) an immunogenic fragment of the amino acid sequence of (a), wherein the immunogenic fragment is at least 90% identical to an aligned contiguous segment of SEQ ID NO:2; and    (c) an immunogenic fragment of the amino acid sequence of (a) that matches an aligned contiguous segment of SEQ ID NO:2 with no more than five single amino acid substitutions, deletions or additions,    wherein the composition, when administered to a subject, induces an immune response that recognizes a polypeptide having the sequence of SEQ ID NO:2.    
     
     
         2 . The immunogenic composition of  claim 1  wherein the amino acid sequence has at least 95% identity to SEQ ID NO:2 or the aligned contiguous segment of SEQ ID NO:2.  
     
     
         3 . The immunogenic composition of  claim 2  wherein the polypeptide has the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2.  
     
     
         4 . The immunogenic composition of  claim 1  wherein the immunogenic fragment is a member selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 and 33.  
     
     
         5 . The immunogenic composition of  claim 1  wherein the polypeptide is a fusion protein.  
     
     
         6 . The immunogenic composition of  claim 5  wherein the fusion protein has the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:10.  
     
     
         7 . A polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:10.  
     
     
         8 . An isolated polynucleotide encoding the polypeptide of  claim 7 .  
     
     
         9 . An expression vector comprising the polynucleotide of  claim 8 .  
     
     
         10 . A host cell comprising the expression vector of  claim 9 .  
     
     
         11 . A process of producing an isolated polypeptide comprising (a) culturing the host cell of  claim 10  under conditions sufficient for the production of the encoded polypeptide and (b) recovering the polypeptide.  
     
     
         12 . The immunogenic composition of  claim 1  wherein the polypeptide is the immunogenic fragment having no more than two single amino acid substitutions, deletions or additions relative to the aligned sequence.  
     
     
         13 . The immunogenic composition of  claim 1  wherein the polypeptide is the immunogenic fragment having no more than one single amino acid substitution, deletion or addition relative to the aligned sequence.  
     
     
         14 . The immunogenic composition of  claim 1  wherein the polypeptide is the immunogenic fragment which matches the aligned sequence.  
     
     
         15 . An immunogenic composition comprising an isolated polypeptide encoded by an isolated first polynucleotide wherein the isolated first polynucleotide hybridizes under stringent conditions to a second polynucleotide which encodes the polypeptide of SEQ ID NO:2; wherein stringent conditions comprise overnight incubation at 42° C. in a solution comprising: 50% formamide, 5×SSC (150 mM NaCl, 15 mM trisodium citrate), 50 mM sodium phosphate (pH7.6), 5×Denhardt's solution, 10% dextran sulfate, and 20 micrograms/ml denatured, sheared salmon sperm DNA, followed by washing the filters in 0.1×SSC at about 65° C.; wherein the composition, when administered to a subject, induces an immune response that recognizes a polypeptide having the sequence of SEQ ID NO:2.  
     
     
         16 . An immunogenic composition comprising the isolated polynucleotide of  claim 8 .  
     
     
         17 . An isolated polynucleotide encoding the polypeptide that comprises the immunogenic composition of  claim 1 .  
     
     
         18 . An immunogenic composition comprising the isolated polynucleotide of  claim 17 .  
     
     
         19 . An expression vector comprising the polynucleotide of  claim 17 .  
     
     
         20 . A host cell comprising the expression vector of  claim 19 .  
     
     
         21 . A process of producing an isolated polypeptide comprising (a) culturing the host cell of  claim 20  under conditions sufficient for the production of the encoded polypeptide and (b) recovering the polypeptide.  
     
     
         22 . An isolated polynucleotide segment comprising a polynucleotide sequence or the full complement of the entire length of the polynucleotide sequence, wherein the polynucleotide sequence is identical to the sequence of nucleotides 545 to 1126 of SEQ ID NO:1, except that, over the entire length corresponding to nucleotides 545 to 1126 of SEQ ID NO:1, n n  nucleotides are substituted, inserted or deleted, wherein n n  satisfies the following expression 
       n n ≦x n −(x n ·y) 
       wherein x n  is the total number of nucleotides corresponding to nucleotides 545 to 1126 of SEQ ID NO:1, y is at least 0.90, and wherein any non-integer product of x n  and y is rounded down to the nearest integer before subtracting the product from x n ; and wherein the polynucleotide sequence detects a polynucleotide of SEQ ID NO:1.  
     
     
         23 . The isolated polynucleotide of  claim 22  where y is at least 0.95.  
     
     
         24 . An expression vector comprising the isolated polynucleotide of  claim 22  which codes for a polypeptide that, when administered to a mammal, induces an immune response that recognizes a polypeptide having the sequence of SEQ ID NO:2.  
     
     
         25 . A host cell comprising the expression vector of  claim 24 .  
     
     
         26 . A process of producing an isolated polypeptide comprising (a) culturing the host cell of  claim 25  under conditions sufficient for the production of the encoded polypeptide and (b) recovering the polypeptide.  
     
     
         27 . The immunogenic composition of  claim 1  further comprising an adjuvant.  
     
     
         28 . The immunogenic composition of  claim 27  wherein the adjuvant induces a TH1-type response.  
     
     
         29 . The immunogenic composition of  claim 28  wherein the adjuvant is a member selected from the group consisting of 3D-MPL, QS21, a mixture of QS21 and cholesterol, and a CpG oligonucleotide.  
     
     
         30 . A method for inducing an immune response in a mammal comprising administration of the immunogenic composition of  claim 1 .  
     
     
         31 . A method for inducing an immune response in a mammal comprising administration of the immunogenic composition of  claim 6 .  
     
     
         32 . A method for inducing an immune response in a mammal comprising administration of the immunogenic composition of  claim 16 .  
     
     
         33 . A method for inducing an immune response in a mammal comprising administration of the immunogenic composition of  claim 18.