Claims
- 1. A molecule that binds to B-cell Specific Antigen (BLSA) (SEQ ID NO 2).
- 2. The molecule of claim 1, wherein the molecule is an agonist.
- 3. The molecule of claim 1, wherein the molecule is an antagonist.
- 4. The molecule of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the molecule is an antibody, a peptide, a ligand, a small molecule, or an oligonucleotide.
- 5. The molecule of claim 4, wherein the molecule is an antibody or a binding fragment thereof.
- 6. The antibody of claim 5, wherein said antibody is monoclonal, chimeric, human, humanized, bispecific, or a heteroconjugate.
- 7. The antibody fragment of claim 5, wherein the fragment is F(ab′)2, F(ab)2, Fab′, Fab.
- 8. A composition comprising the molecule of any one of claims 1 to 7 and a physiologically acceptable carrier, diluent, excipient, and/or additive.
- 9. A method for treating a B-cell mediated disease comprising administering the composition of claim 8.
- 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the B-cell mediated disease is B-cell lymphoma.
- 11. The method of claim 9, wherein the B-cell mediated disease is selected from the group consisting of follicular cell lymphomas, diffuse small lymphocytic lymphoma/chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), lymphoplasmacytoid/Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia, Marginal zone lymphoma and Hairy cell leukemia.
- 12. The method of claim 9, wherein the B-cell mediated disease is selected from the group consisting of diffuse large cell lymphoma, Burkitt's lymphoma/diffuse small non-cleaved cell lymphoma, Lymphoblastic lymphoma, Mantle cell lymphoma and AIDS-related lymphoma.
- 13. A vaccine for the treatment of a B-cell lymphoma comprising a polypeptide comprising an amino sequence selected from the group consisting of: SEQ ID NO:2; a variant of SEQ ID NO:2; and a fragment of SEQ ID NO:2, wherein the peptide contains at least one epitope.
- 14. A vaccine for the treatment of B-cell lymphoma comprising a polypeptide encoded by an isolated polynucleotide comprising a nucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of: SEQ ID NO:1; a variant of SEQ ID NO:1; and a fragment of SEQ ID NO:1, wherein the peptide contains at least one epitope.
- 15. A method for immunizing a patient against B-cell lymphoma or other B-cell mediated disease, comprising administering the vaccine of claim 13 or claim 14.
- 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising administering the vaccine to a patient in combination with an adjuvant, simultaneously or consecutively.
- 17. The method of claim 15, further comprising administering the vaccine to a patient in combination with a second antigen, simultaneously or consecutively.
- 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the second antigen is a Class II antigen.
- 19. A DNA construct comprising a nucleic acid sequence which expresses BLSA or an immunogenic fragment thereof, operably linked to a promoter.
- 20. The construct of claim 19, further comprising a class II antigen.
- 21. An isolated antibody produced in response to the method of claim 15.
- 22. A method for inducing an immune response in a mammal against BLSA comprising administering a composition comprising a DNA molecule that encodes BLSA, said DNA molecule operatively linked to regulatory sequences which control the expression of said DNA molecule, wherein BLSA is expressed in said cells and an immune response is generated against BLSA.
- 23. A BLSA peptide comprising at least one epitope that induces a cytotoxic T-Lymphocyte (CTL) response.
- 24. A method of inducing an immune response in a mammal against BLSA comprising administering a cytotoxic T-Lymphocyte (CTL)-inducing peptide.
- 25. A method of inducing an immune response in a mammal against BLSA comprising administering a vector that expresses a cytotoxic T-Lymphocyte (CTL)-inducing peptide of BLSA.
- 26. A host cell comprising a vector that expresses a cytotoxic T-Lymphocyte (CTL)-inducing peptide of BLSA.
- 27. A method for inhibiting the expression of BLSA by administering a composition that decreases the rate of translation of BLSA in a B-cell lymphoma cell, comprising exposing the cell to an antisense nucleic acid or antisense nucleic acid mimic that hybridizes to said RNA species or to DNA encoding said RNA species.
- 28. A method for screening for an agent with the ability to modulate expression of BLSA comprising the steps of:
(a) contacting a cell comprising the gene encoding BLSA with a candidate agent under conditions sufficient to permit modulation of the level of mRNA transcribed from the BLSA gene; (b) isolating mRNA; (c) comparing the amount of detected mRNA with an amount detected in the absence of candidate agent, and therefrom determining the ability of the candidate agent to modulate expression of BLSA.
- 29. A method for screening for an agent with the ability to bind BLSA comprising the steps of:
(a) contacting BLSA with a candidate agent under conditions sufficient to permit binding; (b) detecting the presence of a BLSA/agent complex.
- 30. The method according to claim 28 or 29, wherein the candidate agent is present within a small molecule combinatorial library.
- 31. A method for blocking or modulating the expression of a cellular BLSA by interfering with the transcription or translation of a DNA or RNA polynucleotide encoding the BLSA comprising exposing a cell capable of expressing a BLSA to a molecule that interferes with the transcription or translation of a DNA or RNA polynucleotide encoding the BLSA.
- 32. The method of claim 31, wherein the molecule is an antisense molecule, an RNAi molecule, or a ribozyme that interferes with the proper transcription or translation of a DNA or RNA polynucleotide encoding the BLSA.
- 33. The method of claim 32, wherein the molecule is an antisense nucleotide that interferes with the proper transcription or translation of a DNA or RNA polynucleotide encoding the BLSA.
- 34. A method for diagnosing the predisposition of a patient to develop a B-cell mediated disease caused by the unregulated expression of BLSA, comprising:
collecting a cell, tissue, or body fluid sample from a patient; analyzing the tissue or body fluid for the presence of BLSA; and predicting the predisposition of the patient to B-cell mediated diseases based upon the level of expression of BLSA in the tissue or body fluid.
- 35. A method for diagnosing the predisposition of a patient to develop a B-cell mediated disease caused by the unregulated expression of BLSA, comprising:
collecting a cell, tissue, or body fluid sample known to contain a defined level of BLSA from a patient; analyzing the tissue or body fluid for the amount of BLSA in the tissue; and predicting the predisposition of the patient to certain immune diseases based upon the change in the amount of BLSA in the tissue or body fluid compared to a defined or tested level extablished for normal cell, tissue, or bodly fluids.
- 35. A method for preventing or treating BLSA protein mediated diseases in a mammal comprising administering a disease preventing or treating amount of a BLSA agonist or antagonist to the mammal.
- 36. The method of claim 19 wherein the BLSA agonist or antagonist is an antibody.
- 37. A method for producing an antibody that binds to BLSA, comprising a method selected from the group consisting of:
using isolated BLSA or antigenic fragments thereof as an antigen; using host cells that express recombinant BLSA as an antigen; and using DNA expression vectors containing the BLSA gene to express BLSA as an antigen for producing antibodies.
- 38. The antibody produced using the method of claim 37.
- 39. The antibody of claim 38 selected from the group consisting of polyclonal, monoclonal, humanized, human, bispecific, and heteroconjugate antibodies.
- 40. A diagnostic method for detecting BLSA expressed in specific cells, tissues, or body fluids, comprising:
exposing cells, tissues, or body fluids or their components to the antibodies of claim 38; and determining if the cells, tissues, or body fluids or their components bind to the antibody.
- 41. A method for isolating and purifying BLSA from recombinant cell culture, contaminants, and native environments, comprising:
exposing a composition containing BLSA and contaminants to an antibody capable of binding to BLSA; allowing the BLSA to bind to the antibody; separating the antibody-BLSA complexes from the contaminants; and recovering the BLSA from the complexes.
- 42. The method of claim 25 wherein the antibody is an antibody of claim 38.
- 43. A transgenic knockout animal whose genome comprises a heterozygous or homozygous disruption in its endogenous BLSA gene that suppresses or prevents the expression of biologically functional BLSA proteins.
- 44. A method for imaging lesions characteristic of certain lymphomas, comprising the steps of:
obtaining monoclonal antibody specific to BLSA; labeling said antibody; contacting said labeled antibody with a biological sample obtained from a mammal; and imaging said label.
- 45. A method for detecting the level of BLSA in a cell comprising performing quantitative PCR.
- 46. A method for detecting BLSA in a cell comprising performing immunofluorescence staining.
Parent Case Info
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/337,542, filed Nov. 2, 2001.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60337542 |
Nov 2001 |
US |