Claims
- 1. A method of inhibiting unwanted cell proliferation comprising,
determining whether cells overexpress a gli gene, and contacting cells that overexpress a gli gene with an effective amount of a hedgehog antagonist; whereby said antagonist causes decreased cell proliferation.
- 2. A method of claim 1, wherein said gli gene is gli-1.
- 3. A method of claim 1, wherein said unwanted cell proliferation is cancer.
- 4. A method of claim 3, wherein said cancer is urogenital cancer.
- 5. A method of claim 3, wherein said cancer is associated with one or more of lung, prostate, breast, bladder, and colon tissues.
- 6. A method of claim 5, wherein said form of cancer associated with breast tissue is selected from inferior ductal carcinoma, inferior lobular carcinoma, intraductal carcinoma, medullary carcinoma and tubular carcinoma.
- 7. A method of claim 5, wherein said cancer associated with lung tissue is selected from adenocarcinoma, broncho-alveolar adenocarcinoma and small cell carcinoma.
- 8. A method of claim 5, wherein said cancer associated with the prostate is adenocarcinoma.
- 9. A method of claim 1, wherein said unwanted cell proliferation is benign prostatic hyperplasia.
- 10. A method for determining a treatment protocol comprising,
obtaining a tissue sample from a patient, and determining levels of gli gene expression in said sample, wherein overexpression of a gli gene indicates that treatment with a hedgehog antagonist is appropriate.
- 11. A method of claim 10, wherein said gli gene is gli-1.
- 12. A method of claim 11, wherein gli-1 expression levels are determined by measuring gli-1 transcript levels.
- 13. A method of claim 11, wherein said gli-1 levels are determined by measuring gli- 1 protein levels.
- 14. A method of stimulating surfactant production in a lung cell comprising contacting said cell with an amount of hedgehog antagonist effective to stimulate surfactant production.
- 15. A method of stimulating lamellated body formation in a lung cell comprising contacting said cell with an amount of hedgehog antagonist effective to stimulate lamellated body formation.
- 16. A method of claim 14 or 15, wherein said lung cell is present in the lung tissue of a premature infant.
- 17. A method of any one of claims 1-15, wherein said hedgehog antagonist is selected from a small molecule having a molecular weight less than 2000 daltons, a hedgehog antibody, a patched antibody, a smoothened antibody, a mutant hedgehog protein, an antisense nucleic acid, and a ribozyme.
- 18. A method of claim 17, wherein said small molecule is selected from cyclopamine, compound A, tomatidine, jervine, AY9944, triparanol, compound B and functionally effective derivatives thereof.
- 19. A method of determining the likelihood that a cancer will develop in a tissue, comprising
obtaining a tissue sample, and determining levels of gli gene expression in said sample, wherein overexpression of a gli gene indicates an increased likelihood that cancer will develop.
- 20. A method of claim 19, wherein said gli gene is gli-1.
- 21. A method for treating a tumor in a patient, comprising administering to said patient an amount of a hedgehog antagonist sufficient to decrease the grow and/or proliferation of the tumor, wherein the tumor is associated with at least one of urogenital, lung, breast, prostate, bladder, or colon cancer.
- 22. The method of claim 21, wherein hedgehog antagonist is administered as part of cancer treatment regimen.
Parent Case Info
[0001] This application is based on U.S. provisional application 60/240,564, filed Oct. 13, 2000, hereby incorporated by reference.
Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60240564 |
Oct 2000 |
US |