Secreted and transmembrane polypeptides and nucleic acids encoding the same

Abstract

The present invention is directed to novel polypeptides and to nucleic acid molecules encoding those polypeptides. Also provided herein are vectors and host cells comprising those nucleic acid sequences, chimeric polypeptide molecules comprising the polypeptides of the present invention fused to heterologous polypeptide sequences, antibodies which bind to the polypeptides of the present invention and to methods for producing the polypeptides of the present invention.

1 . A diagnostic method, comprising determining, in a test biological sample obtained from a mammalian subject, the level of nucleic acid encoding a PRO242 polypeptide of SEQ ID NO:2 relative to the level of said nucleic acid in a corresponding normal biological sample wherein increased level of said nucleic acid in the test biological sample is indicative that the test biological sample contains cancerous cells.  
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the test and normal biological samples are tissue samples.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the test tissue sample is from breast, colon or lung tissue.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the normal biological sample is from the same type of tissue as the test biological sample.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  wherein the normal biological sample is an epithelial tissue sample from a combination of tissues.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5  wherein epithelial tissue sample includes epithelial cells from breast, colon or lung tissue.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the nucleic acid levels are determined by hybridization of nucleic acid obtained from the test and normal biological samples to one or more probes specific for the nucleic acid encoding PRO242.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7  wherein hybridization is performed under stringent conditions.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8  wherein said stringent conditions use 50% formamide, 5×SSC, 50 mM sodium phosphate (pH 6.8), 0.1% sodium pyrophosphate, 5× Denhardt's solution, sonicated salmon sperm DNA (50 μg/ml), 0.1% SDS, and 10% dextran sulfate at 42° C., with washes at 42° C. in 0.2×SSC and 50% formamide at 55° C., followed by a wash comprising of 0.1×SSC containing EDTA at 55° C.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 7  wherein the nucleic acids obtained from the test and normal biological samples are cDNAs.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the nucleic acids obtained from the test and normal biological samples are placed on microarrays.  
     
     
         12 . A diagnostic method comprising determining the expression level of the PRO242 polypeptide of SEQ ID NO: 2 in test biological sample relative to a normal biological sample, wherein overexpression of said polypeptide in the test biological sample is indicative that the sample contains cancerous cells.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12  wherein the test and normal biological samples are tissue samples.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13  wherein the test tissue sample is from breast, colon or lung tissue.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14  wherein overexpression is detected with an antibody that specifically binds to the PRO242 polypeptide.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15  wherein said antibody is a monoclonal antibody.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  wherein said antibody is a humanized antibody.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17  wherein said antibody is an antibody fragment.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18  wherein said antibody is labeled.