COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR DIAGNOSING AND TREATING CONDITIONS, DISORDERS, OR DISEASES INVOLVING CELL DEATH

摘要

The present invention relates to compositions and methods for the treatment and diagnosis of conditions, disorders, or diseases involving cell death. The invention encompasses protective nucleic acids which, when introduced into a cell predisposed to undergo cell death or in the process of undergoing cell death, prevent, delay, or rescue the cell from death relative to a corresponding cell into which no exogenous nucleic acids have been introduced. The invention encompasses nucleic acids of the protective sequence, host cell expression systems of the protective sequence and hosts that have been transformed by these expression systems. The invention also encompasses novel protective sequence products, including proteins, polypeptides, peptides and antibodies. The invention further relates to target sequences, including upstream and downstream regulatory sequences or complete gene sequences, antibodies, antisense molecules or sequences, ribozyme molecules, and other inhibitors or modulators. The present invention also relates to methods and compositions for the diagnosis and treatment of conditions, disorders, or diseases, involving cell death. Further, the invention relates to methods of using the protective sequence, protective sequence products, and/or their regulatory elements for the identification of compounds that modulate the expression of the protective sequence and/or the activity of the protective sequence product.