New purified polypeptide (e.g. an antibody) that induces apoptosis of a neoplastic cell, useful for diagnosing or treating a neoplasm or a proliferative disorder in mammals, including humans

摘要

A purified polypeptide that induces apoptosis of a neoplastic cell to which it binds, but does not induce apoptosis of a non-neoplastic cell, is new. The polypeptide specifically binds to at least one of HT-29 (ATCC Accession Number HTB-38; DSMZ Accession Number ACC 299), CACO-2 (ATCC Accession Number HBT-37; DSMZ Accession Number ACC 169), COLO-320 (DSMZ Accession Number ACC 144), COLO-206F (DSMZ Accession Number ACC 21), ASPC-1 (ATCC Accession Number CRL-1682), or BXPC-3 (ATCC Accession Number CRL-1687) cells and not to non-neoplastic cells. Independent claims are also included for the following: (1) a cell that expresses the new polypeptide; (2) a method of generating the cell, comprising contacting lymphocytes with a heteromyeloma cell line under conditions that result in the fusion of a lymphocyte with a heteromyeloma cell, the fusion resulting in a hybridoma; determining whether the hybridoma produces a polypeptide that induces apoptosis of a neoplastic cell to which it binds, but does not induce apoptosis of a non-neoplastic cell; and determining whether the hybridoma produces the polypeptide cited above; (3) a medicament comprising the purified polypeptide cited above in a pharmaceutical carrier; (4) a diagnostic agent comprising the above purified polypeptide; (5) an isolated nucleic acid molecule encoding the new polypeptide; (6) a vector comprising the above nucleic acid molecule; (7) a cell comprising the vector cited above; (8) a method of preparing the purified polypeptide, comprising contacting a cell with the vector and isolating the polypeptide expressed by the cell; (9) a method of diagnosing a neoplasm in a mammal, comprising contacting a cell or tissue sample of the mammal with the purified polypeptide and detecting whether the purified polypeptide binds to the cell or tissue sample, where binding of the purified polypeptide to the cell or tissue sample is indicative of the mammal having a neoplasm; and (10) methods of treating a proliferative disorder in a mammal, comprising contacting a cell or tissue sample with the purified polypeptide, where binding of the purified polypeptide to the cell or tissue sample results in the induction of apoptosis or reduction in proliferation of the cell or tissue sample. ACTIVITY : Cytostatic. No biological data given. MECHANISM OF ACTION : Gene therapy.