Compositions for Diagnosis and Therapy of Diseases Associated with Aberrant Expression of Futrins (R-Spondins) and/or Wnt

摘要

The present invention relates to a composition useful for the diagnosis of diseases associated with aberrant expression of the genes encoding the secreted proteins Futrin 1, 2, 3 and/or 4 (=R-Spondin 2, 3, 1 and 4, respectively), e.g. in connection with tumors or diseases of the muscle, kidneys or bones. The present invention also relates to a pharmaceutical composition containing a compound which is capable of modifying (a) the expression of the gene encoding Futrin 1, 2, 3 and/or 4 or (b) the activity of the Futrin 1, 2, 3 and/or 4 protein.

主权项

1. A method of determining whether a binding partner of a Futrin 3 polypeptide affects Wnt signaling activity, the method comprising:
(a) providing a mammalian cell in culture comprising the Futrin 3 polypeptide and a Wnt inducible reporter, wherein the Futrin 3 polypeptide comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:29, the amino acid sequence of amino acids 21-262 of SEQ ID NO:29, the amino acid sequence of amino acids 1-149 of SEQ ID NO:29, or the amino acid sequence of amino acids 21-149 of SEQ ID NO:29, wherein the Futrin 3 polypeptide is able to promote Wnt signaling; and (b) detecting the level of reporter expression in the cell in the presence and absence of the binding partner, wherein a change in the level of reporter expression indicates that the binding partner affects the Wnt signaling.