Regulation of human ornithine decarboxylase
(19) AUSTRALIAN PATENT OFFICE (54) Title Regulation of human ornithine decarboxylase(51)6 International Patent Classification(s) C12N 009/88 A61K 031/7105 C12N 015/62 C12Q 001/68 A61K 039/00 A61K 038/51 C12N 015/60 C12N 005/10 C12Q 001/527 G01N 033/50(21) Application No: 2002238483 (22) Application Date: 2001.12.27(87) WIPO No: WO02/053716(30) Priority Data (31) Number (32) Date (33) Country 60/259,211 2001 .01.03 US(43) Publication Date : 2002.07.16(43) Publication Journal Date : 2003 .01.23 (71) Applicant(s) BAYER AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT(72) Inventor(s) Smith, Timothy J. (-1-1) Application NoAU 2002238483 A8 (19) AUSTRALIAN PATENT OFFICE (54) Title Regulation of human ornithine decarboxylase(51)6 International Patent Classification(s) C12N 009/88 A61K 031/7105 C12N 015/62 C12Q 001/68 A61K 039/00 A61K 038/51 C12N 015/60 C12N 005/10 C12Q 001/527 G01N 033/50(21) Application No: 2002238483 (22) Application Date: 2001.12.27(87) WIPO No: WO02/053716(30) Priority Data (31) Number (32) Date (33) Country 60/259,211 2001 .01.03 US(43) Publication Date : 2002.07.16(43) Publication Journal Date : 2003 .01.23 (71) Applicant(s) BAYER AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT(72) Inventor(s) Smith, Timothy J. -1- Reagents that regulate human ornithine decarboxylase and reagents which bind to human ornithine decarboxylase gene products can play a role in preventing, ameliorating, or correcting dysfunctions or diseases including, but not limited to, cancer, diabetes, and peripheral and central nervous system disorders. CLAIMS 1. An isolated polynucleotide being selected from the group consisting of : a) a polynucleotide encoding an ornithine decarboxylase polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence selected form the group consisting of : amino acid sequences which are at least about 53% identical to the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 2; and the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 2. b) a polynucleotide comprising the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 ;STDC0586 c) a polynucleotide which hybridizes under stringent conditions to a polynucleotide specified in (a) and (b) and encodes an ornithine decarboxylase polypeptide; d) a polynucleotide the sequence of which deviates from the polynucleotide sequences specified in (a) to (c) due to the degeneration of the genetic code and encodes an ornithine decarboxylase polypeptide ; and e) a polynucleotide which represents a fragment, derivative or allelic variation of a polynucleotide sequence specified in (a) to (d) and encodes an ornithine decarboxylase polypeptide.
2. An expression vector containing any polynucleotide of claim 1.
3. A host cell containing the expression vector of claim 2.
4. A substantially purified ornithine decarboxylase polypeptide encoded by a polynucleotide of claim 1.
5. A method for producing an ornithine decarboxylase polypeptide, wherein the method comprises the following steps: a) culturing the host cell of claim 3 under conditions suitable for the expression of the ornithine decarboxylase polypeptide; and b) recovering the ornithine decarboxylase polypeptide from the host cell culture.
6. A method for detection of a polynucleotide encoding an ornithine decarboxylase polypeptide in a biological sample comprising the following steps: a) hybridizing any polynucleotide of claim 1 to a nucleic acid material of a biological sample, thereby forming a hybridization complex; and b) detecting said hybridization complex.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein before hybridization, the nucleic acid material of the biological sample is amplified.
8. A method for the detection of a polynucleotide of claim 1 or an ornithine decarboxylase polypeptide of claim 4 comprising the steps of : contacting a biological sample with a reagent which specifically interacts with the polynucleotide or the ornithine decarboxylase polypeptide.
9. A diagnostic kit for conducting the method of any one of claims 6 to 8.
10. A method of screening for agents which decrease the activity of ornithine decarboxylase, comprising the steps of : contacting a test compound with any ornithine decarboxylase polypeptide encoded by any polynucleotide of claim 1 ; detecting binding of the test compound to ornithine decarboxylase polypeptide, wherein a test compound which binds to the polypeptide is identified as a potential therapeutic agent for decreasing the activity of ornithine decarboxylase.
11. A method of screening for agents which regulate the activity of ornithine decarboxylase, comprising the steps of : contacting a test compound with an ornithine decarboxylase polypeptide encoded by any polynucleotide of claim 1 ; and detecting an ornithine decarboxylase activity of the polypeptide, wherein a test compound which increases the ornithine decarboxylase activity is identified as a potential therapeutic agent for increasing the activity of the ornithine decarboxylase, and wherein a test compound which decreases the ornithine decarboxylase activity of the polypeptide is identified as a potential therapeutic agent for decreasing the activity of ornithine decarboxylase.
12. A method of screening for agents which decrease the activity of ornithine decarboxylase, comprising the steps of : contacting a test compound with any polynucleotide of claim 1 and detecting binding of the test compound to the polynucleotide, wherein a test compound which binds to the polynucleotide is identified as a potential therapeutic agent for decreasing the activity of ornithine decarboxylase.
13. A method of reducing the activity of ornithine decarboxylase, comprising the steps of : contacting a cell with a reagent which specifically binds to any polynucleotide of claim 1 or any ornithine decarboxylase polypeptide of claim 4, whereby the activity of ornithine decarboxylase is reduced.
14. A reagent that modulates the activity of ornithine decarboxylase polypeptide or a polynucleotide wherein said reagent is identified by the method of any of the claim 10 to 12.
15. A pharmaceutical composition, comprising: the expression vector of claim 2 or the reagent of claim 14 and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
16. Use of the expression vector of claim 2 or the reagent of claim 14 in the preparation of a medicament for modulating the activity of ornithine decarboxylase in a disease.
17. Use of claim 16 wherein the disease is cancer, diabetes, or a peripheral or central nervous system disorder.
18. A cDNA encoding a polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO : 2.
19. The cDNA of claim 18 which comprises SEQ ID NO: 1.
20. The cDNA of claim 18 which consists of SEQ ID NO: 1.
21. An expression vector comprising a polynucleotide which encodes a polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO : 2.
22. The expression vector of claim 21 wherein the polynucleotide consists ofSEQ ID NO : 1.
23. A host cell comprising an expression vector which encodes a polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO : 2.
24. The host cell of claim 23 wherein the polynucleotide consists of SEQ IDNO : 1. 25. A purified polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ IDNO : 2.
26. The purified polypeptide of claim 25 which consists of the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO : 2.
27. A fusion protein comprising a polypeptide having the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO : 2.
28. A method of producing a polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO : 2, comprising the steps of : culturing a host cell comprising an expression vector which encodes the polypeptide under conditions whereby the polypeptide is expressed; and isolating the polypeptide.
29. The method of claim 28 wherein the expression vector comprises SEQ IDNO : 1.
30. A method of detecting a coding sequence for a polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO : 2, comprising the steps of : hybridizing a polynucleotide comprising 11 contiguous nucleotides of SEQID NO : 1 to nucleic acid material of a biological sample, thereby forming a hybridization complex; and detecting the hybridization complex.
31. The method of claim 30 further comprising the step of amplifying the nucleic acid material before the step of hybridizing.
32. A kit for detecting a coding sequence for a polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO : 2, comprising: a polynucleotide comprising 11 contiguous nucleotides of SEQ ID NO : 1; and instructions for the method of claim 30.
33. A method of detecting a polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO : 2, comprising the steps of : contacting a biological sample with a reagent that specifically binds to the polypeptide to form a reagent-polypeptide complex; and detecting the reagent-polypeptide complex.
34. The method of claim 33 wherein the reagent is an antibody.
35. A kit for detecting a polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO : 2, comprising: an antibody which specifically binds to the polypeptide; and instructions for the method of claim 33.
36. A method of screening for agents which can modulate the activity of a human ornithine decarboxylase, comprising the steps of : contacting a test compound with a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of : (1) amino acid sequences which are at least about 53% identical to the amino acid sequence shown inSEQ ID NO : 2 and (2) the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO : 2; and detecting binding of the test compound to the polypeptide, wherein a test compound which binds to the polypeptide is identified as a potential agent for regulating activity of the human ornithine decarboxylase.
37. The method of claim 36 wherein the step of contacting is in a cell.
38. The method of claim 36 wherein the cell is in vitro.
39. The method of claim 36 wherein the step of contacting is in a cell-free system.
40. The method of claim 36 wherein the polypeptide comprises a detectable label.
41. The method of claim 36 wherein the test compound comprises a detectable label.
42. The method of claim 36 wherein the test compound displaces a labeled ligand which is bound to the polypeptide.
43. The method of claim 36 wherein the polypeptide is bound to a solid support.
44. The method of claim 36 wherein the test compound is bound to a solid support.
45. A method of screening for agents which modulate an activity of a human ornithine decarboxylase, comprising the steps of : contacting a test compound with a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of : (1) amino acid sequences which are at least about 53% identical to the amino acid sequence shown inSEQ ID NO : 2 and (2) the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO : 2; and detecting an activity of the polypeptide, wherein a test compound which increases the activity of the polypeptide is identified as a potential agent for increasing the activity of the human ornithine decarboxylase, and wherein a test compound which decreases the activity of the polypeptide is identified as a potential agent for decreasing the activity of the human ornithine decarboxylase.
46. The method of claim 45 wherein the step of contacting is in a cell.
47. The method of claim 45 wherein the cell is in vitro.
48. The method of claim 45 wherein the step of contacting is in a cell-free system.
49. A method of screening for agents which modulate an activity of a human ornithine decarboxylase, comprising the steps of : contacting a test compound with a product encoded by a polynucleotide which comprises the nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO : 1; and detecting binding of the test compound to the product, wherein a test compound which binds to the product is identified as a potential agent for regulating the activity of the human ornithine decarboxylase.
50. The method of claim 49 wherein the product is a polypeptide.
51. The method of claim 49 wherein the product is RNA.
52. A method of reducing activity of a human ornithine decarboxylase, comprising the step of : contacting a cell with a reagent which specifically binds to a product encoded by a polynucleotide comprising the nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ IDNO : 1, whereby the activity of a human ornithine decarboxylase is reduced.
53. The method of claim 52 wherein the product is a polypeptide.
54. The method of claim 53 wherein the reagent is an antibody.
55. The method of claim 52 wherein the product is RNA.
56. The method of claim 55 wherein the reagent is an antisense oligonucleotide.
57. The method of claim 56 wherein the reagent is a ribozyme.
58. The method of claim 52 wherein the cell is in vitro.
59. The method of claim 52 wherein the cell is in vivo.
60. A pharmaceutical composition, comprising: a reagent which specifically binds to a polypeptide comprising the amino acid' sequence shown in SEQ ID NO : 2; and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
61. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 60 wherein the reagent is an antibody.
62. A pharmaceutical composition, comprising: a reagent which specifically binds to a product of a polynucleotide comprising the nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO : 1 ; and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
63. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 62 wherein the reagent is a ribozyme.
64. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 62 wherein the reagent is an antisense oligonucleotide.
65. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 62 wherein the reagent is an antibody.
66. A pharmaceutical composition, comprising: an expression vector encoding a polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO : 2; and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
67. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 66 wherein the expression vector comprises SEQ ID NO : 1.
68. A method of treating a ornithine decarboxylase dysfunction related disease, wherein the disease is selected from cancer, diabetes, or a peripheral or central nervous system disorder comprising the step of : administering to a patient in need thereof a therapeutically effective dose of a reagent that modulates a function of a human ornithine decarboxylase, whereby symptoms of the ornithine decarboxylase dysfunction related disease are ameliorated.
69. The method of claim 68 wherein the reagent is identified by the method of claim 36.
70. The method of claim 68 wherein the reagent is identified by the method of claim 45.
71. The method of claim 68 wherein the reagent is identified by the method of claim 49.