Method for detecting tumors and assessing their sensitivity to chemotherapy, by detecting or quantifying specific proteins or antibodies, also treatment using interfering RNA against these proteins

摘要

Method for detecting (a) presence/absence of a tumor in a mammal and/or (b) its sensitivity to chemotherapy comprises detecting and/or quantifying, in a sample from the mammal, (i) eEF1a1 protein (I; elongation factor of protein synthesis); (ii) antibodies (Ab1) against (I) or a fragment of it containing at least one epitope; (iii) MARK3 protein (II) and/or (iv) antibodies (Ab2) against (II) or a fragment of it containing at least one epitope. Independent claims are included for the following: (1) diagnostic kit for the new method; (2) Ab1 and Ab2 as new compounds; (3) method for inhibiting growth of tumor cells in vitroby inhibiting activity of (I) and/or (II) using either Ab1/Ab2 or an interfering RNA (iRNA) that inhibits expression of the genes encoding (I) and/or (II); (4) iRNA that inhibits, in vitroor in vivo, expression of genes encoding (I) and/or (II); (5) vector for expressing the iRNA of (4) containing the sequence encoding iRNA under control of regulatory elements; (6) vector for delivering iRNA in a host cell comprising iRNA of (4) and a system for delivering it; (7) a specific variant (V1) of MARK3; (8) nucleic acid sequence that encodes V1; (9) expression vector containing the sequence of (8) and regulatory elements; (10) host organism containing the vector of (9); and (11) method for producing V1 by growing the host of (10). ACTIVITY : Cytostatic. MECHANISM OF ACTION : RNA interference; antibody neutralization of protein activity. U373 glioblastoma cells were transfected with the siRNA 5'-acagcacuauuccugauca 5'-ugaucaggaauagugcug directed against MARK3. After culture for 5 days, the treated cells had a level of proliferation 74% of that in untreated controls.