Method for treating a condition with a SOCS-3 promoter linked to a polynucleotide encoding SOCS-3

Abstract

Disclosed is a nucleic acid construct comprising a murine SOCS-3 promoter sequence having SEQ. ID. NO.:1, or a non-murine homologue thereof, or an operative fragment or derivative. The construct can also contain, operatively linked to the SOCS-3 promoter, a gene encoding any preselected protein, and optionally contains a reporter gene to facilitate detection and/or selection of successfully transfected cells. Also disclosed are a transgenic vertebrate cell containing the nucleic acid construct and transgenic non-human vertebrates comprising such cells. The nucleic acid construct is useful in methods of treating a growth retardation or growth acceleration disorder in a human subject and in a method of treating an autoimmune disease, immune disease, or inflammatory condition in a human subject. A kit for genetically modifying a vertebrate cell includes a polynucleotide comprising the murine SOCS-3 promoter sequence is also disclosed.

1 - 62 . (canceled)  
     
     
         63 . A method of treating an autoimmune disease, immune disease, or an inflammatory condition in a human subject, comprising: 
 genetically modifying a gp-130-responsive cell of a human subject having an autoimmune disease, immune disease, or inflammatory condition with a nucleic acid construct comprising a SOCS-3 promoter sequence, or fragment thereof, operatively linked, in a transcriptional unit, to a DNA sequence encoding a SOCS-3 protein or a functional fragment thereof; and    causing the cell, in vivo, to transcribe from said transcriptional unit, in response to a a pro-inflammatory cytokine of the gp130 signaling subunit cytokine family, a functional SOCS-3 mRNA, whereby the amount of SOCS-3 protein produced in said cell is enhanced, whereby the amount of SOCS-3 protein produced in the cell is enhanced, and one or more symptoms of the autoimmune disease, immune disease, or inflammatory condition is improved.    
     
     
         64 . The method of  claim 63 , wherein the cell is a pituitary, adrenal, hypothalamic, intestinal, kidney, liver, immune-competent, or bone-forming cell.  
     
     
         65 . The method of  claim 63 , wherein the cell is a hepatocyte, lymphocyte, chondrocyte, neuron, intestinal epithelial, corticotroph, somatotroph, lactotroph, or gonadotroph cell.  
     
     
         66 . The method of  claim 63 , wherein the cell is a cell derived from a pituitary tumor, adrenal tumor, hypothalamic tumor, or liver tumor.  
     
     
         67 . The method of  claim 63 , wherein the SOCS-3 promoter sequence is a murine SOCS-3 promoter having a nucleotide sequence (SEQ. ID. NO:1), or an operative fragment or non-murine homologue thereof, or an operative derivative of any of these.  
     
     
         68 . The method of  claim 63 , wherein said transcriptional unit further comprises a DNA sequence encoding a reporter protein.  
     
     
         69 . The method of  claim 68 , wherein the encoded reporter protein is a fluorescent or light-emitting protein.  
     
     
         70 . The method of  claim 69 , wherein the encoded fluorescent or light-emitting protein is a green fluorescent protein, yellow fluorescent protein, blue fluorescent protein, phycobiliprotein, luciferase, or apoaequorin.  
     
     
         71 . The method of  claim 63 , further comprising at least one insulator element flanking said transcriptional unit.  
     
     
         72 . The method of  claim 71 , wherein at least one of said insulator element(s) is a chicken β-globin insulator element.  
     
     
         73 . The method of  claim 63 , wherein the pro-inflammatory cytokine is IL-6 or LIF.  
     
     
         74 . The method of  claim 63 , wherein the autoimmune disease, immune disease, or inflammatory condition is Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, Grave's disease, an allergic or anaphylactic reaction, or a neuroendocrinological response to stress.  
     
     
         75 . The method of  claim 63 , further comprising obtaining the gp130-responsive cell from a tissue of the human subject; genetically modifying the cell in vitro; 
 and re-implanting the genetically modified cell into the tissue of the human subject.    
     
     
         76 - 110 . (canceled)  
     
     
         111 . A method of treating an autoimmune disease, immune disease, or inflammatory condition in a human subject, comprising: 
 obtaining a gp130 responsive cell from a tissue of a human subject having an autoimmune disease, immune disease, or inflammatory condition;    transfecting said cell with a nucleic acid construct comprising a murine SOCS-3 promoter having a nucleotide sequence (SEQ. ID. NO:1), or an operative fragment or non-murine homologue thereof, or an operative derivative of any of these, operatively linked, in a transcriptional unit, to a DNA sequence encoding a SOCS-3 protein or a functional fragment thereof; and    re-implanting said cell within the tissue of said human subject, whereby the amount of SOCS-3 protein produced in said cell in response to the pro-inflammatory cytokine is enhanced, and one or more of the symptoms of the autoimmune disease, immune disease, or inflammatory condition is improved.    
     
     
         112 . The method of  claim 111 , wherein the cell is a pituitary, adrenal, hypothalamic, intestinal, kidney, immune-competent, or liver cell.  
     
     
         113 . The method of  claim 111 , wherein the cell is a hepatocyte, lymphocyte, corticotroph, somatotroph, lactotroph, or gonadotroph cell.  
     
     
         114 . The method of  claim 111 , wherein the cell is a cell derived from a pituitary tumor, adrenal tumor, hypothalamic tumor, or liver tumor.  
     
     
         115 . The method of  claim 111 , wherein said transcriptional unit further comprises a DNA sequence encoding a reporter protein.  
     
     
         116 . The method of  claim 115 , wherein the encoded reporter protein is a fluorescent or light-emitting protein.  
     
     
         117 . The method of  claim 116 , wherein the fluorescent or light-emitting protein is a green fluorescent protein, yellow fluorescent protein, blue fluorescent protein, phycobiliprotein, luciferase, or apoaequorin.  
     
     
         118 . The method of  claim 111 , further comprising at least one insulator element flanking said transcriptional unit.  
     
     
         119 . The method of  claim 118 , wherein at least one of said insulator element(s) is a chicken β-globin insulator element.  
     
     
         120 . The method of  claim 111 , wherein the pro-inflammatory cytokine is IL-6 or LIF.  
     
     
         121 - 133 . (canceled)