Human orthologues of Wart

Abstract

The present invention relates in part to hWART nucleic acid molecules. The invention also relates in part to nucleic acid molecules encoding portions of hWART full-length proteins, nucleic acid vectors containing hWART nucleic acid molecules, recombinant cells containing such nucleic acid vectors, polypeptides purified from such recombinant cells, antibodies to such polypeptides, and methods of identifying compounds that modulate the function of an hWART polypeptide. Also disclosed are methods for diagnosing abnormal cell proliferative conditions in an organism using hWART-related molecules or compounds.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . An isolated, enriched, or purified nucleic acid molecule encoding an hWART polypeptide.  
     
     
         2 . The nucleic acid molecule of  claim 1 , wherein said nucleic acid molecule comprises a nucleotide sequence that 
 (a) encodes a polypeptide having the full length amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:3 or SEQ ID NO:4;    (b) is the complement of the nucleotide sequence. of (a);    (c) hybridizes under highly stringent conditions to the nucleotide molecule of (a) and encodes a naturally occurring hWART polypeptide;    (d) encodes an hWART polypeptide having the full length amino acid sequence of the sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:3 or SEQ ID NO:4, except that it lacks one or more of the following segments of amino acid residues:12-45, 55-151, 236-377, 404-520, 555-559, 601-702, 691-998, 1011-1086 of SEQ ID NO:3, or 1-33, 43-139, 342-466, 467-480, 514-518, 974-1048 of SEQ ID NO:4;    (e) is the complement of the nucleotide sequence of (d);    (f) encodes a polypeptide having the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:3 or SEQ ID NO:4 from amino acid residues 12-45, 55-151, 236-377, 404-520, 555-559, 601-702, 691-998, 1011-1086 of SEQ ID NO:3, or 1-33, 43-139, 342-466, 467-480, 514-518, 974-1048 of SEQ ID NO:4;    (g) is the complement of the nucleotide sequence of (f);    (h) encodes a polypeptide having the full length amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:3 or SEQ ID NO:4, except that it lacks one or more of the domains selected from the group consisting of an N-terminal domain, a catalytic domain, and a C-terminal domain; or    (i) is the complement of the nucleotide sequence of (h).    
     
     
         3 . The nucleic acid molecule of  claim 1 , wherein said nucleic acid molecule is isolated, enriched, or purified from a mammal.  
     
     
         4 . The nucleic acid molecule of  claim 3 , wherein said mammal is a human.  
     
     
         5 . The nucleic acid molecule of  claim 1 , further comprising a vector or promoter effective to initiate transcription in a host cell.  
     
     
         6 . A nucleic acid probe for the detection of nucleic acid encoding an hWART polypeptide in a sample.  
     
     
         7 . The probe of  claim 6  wherein said polypeptide comprises at least 46 contiguous amino acids of the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO:3 or SEQ ID NO:4.  
     
     
         8 . A nucleic acid molecule comprising one or more regions that encode an hWART polypeptide or an hWART domain polypeptide, wherein said hWART polypeptide or said hWART domain polypeptide is fused to a non-WART polypeptide.  
     
     
         9 . A recombinant cell comprising a nucleic acid molecule encoding either 
 (a) an hWART polypeptide;    (b) an hWART domain polypeptide; or    (c) an hWART polypeptide or hWART domain polypeptide fused to a non-WART polypeptide.    
     
     
         10 . An isolated, enriched or purified hWART polypeptide.  
     
     
         11 . The polypeptide of  claim 10 , wherein said polypeptide is a fragment of the protein encoded by the full length amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:3 or SEQ ID NO:4.  
     
     
         12 . The polypeptide of  claim 10 , wherein said polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence having 
 (a) the full length amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:3 or SEQ ID NO:4;    (b) the full length amino acid sequence of the sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:3 or SEQ ID NO:4, except that it lacks one or more of the following segments of amino acid residues:12-45, 55-151, 236-377, 404-520, 555-559, 601-702, 691-998, 1011-1086 of SEQ ID NO:3, or 1-33, 43-139, 342-466, 467-480, 514-518, 974-1-048 of SEQ ID NO:4;    (c) the amino acid sequence-set forth in SEQ ID NO:3 or SEQ ID NO:4 from amino acid residues 12-45, 55-151, 236-377, 404-520, 555-559, 601-702, 691-998, 1011-1086 of SEQ ID NO:3, or 1-33, 43-139, 342-466, 467-480, 514-518, 974-1048 of SEQ ID NO:4; or    (d) the full length amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:3 or SEQ ID NO:4 except that it lacks one or more of the domains selected from the group consisting of an N-terminal domain, a catalytic domain, and a C-terminal domain.    
     
     
         13 . An antibody or antibody fragment having specific binding affinity to an hWART polypeptide or an hWART domain polypeptide.  
     
     
         14 . A hybridoma which produces an antibody having specific binding affinity to an hWART polypeptide.  
     
     
         15 . A method for identifying a substance capable of modulating hWART activity comprising the steps of: 
 (a) contacting an hWART polypeptide with a test substance; and    (b) determining whether said substance alters the activity of said polypeptide.    
     
     
         16 . A method for identifying a substance capable of modulating hWART function in a cell comprising the steps of: 
 (a) expressing an hWART polypeptide in a cell;    (b) adding a test substance to said cell; and    (c) monitoring a change in either cell phenotype, cell proliferation, cell differentiation, hWART catalytic activity, or the interaction between an hWART polypeptide and a natural binding partner.    
     
     
         17 . A method of preventing or treating an abnormal condition by administering to a patient in need of such treatment a compound that modulates the function of an hWART polypeptide.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein said abnormal condition involves an abnormality in hWART signal transduction pathway.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein said abnormal condition is cancer.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein said compound modulates the function of an hWART polypeptide in vitro.  
     
     
         21 . A kit, comprising the compound of  claim 17  and a protocol for the use of said compound.  
     
     
         22 . The kit of  claim 21 , wherein said protocol is approved by the Food and Drug Administration.