Claims
- 1. A method of vaccinating an individual against stratum corneum chymotrytic enzyme (SCCE), comprising the step of:
inoculating an individual with a SCCE peptide, wherein said SCCE peptide elicits an immune response in said individual, thereby vaccinating said individual against SCCE.
- 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said SCCE peptide is expressed in peptide-loaded dendritic cells or is expressed from an expression vector.
- 3. The method of claim 1, wherein said individual has cancer, is suspected of having cancer or is at risk of getting cancer, wherein said cancer is selected from the group consisting of ovarian cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer and colon cancer.
- 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the length of said SCCE peptide is from about 9-residue long to about 30-residue long.
- 5. The method of claim 4, wherein said peptide is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID Nos. 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 80, 86, 99 and 137.
- 6. A method of producing immune-activated cells directed toward stratum corneum chymotrytic enzyme (SCCE), comprising the steps of:
exposing immune cells to a SCCE protein or fragment thereof, wherein said exposure to said SCCE protein or fragment thereof activates said immune cells, thereby producing immune-activated cells directed toward stratum corneum chymotrytic enzyme.
- 7. The method of claim 6, wherein said immune cells are selected from the group consisting of B cells, T cells and dendritric cells.
- 8. The method of claim 6, wherein the length of said stratum corneum chymotrytic enzyme fragment is from about 9-residue long to about 30-residue long.
- 9. The method of claim 8, wherein said 9-residue fragment is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID Nos. 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 80, 86, 99 and 137.
- 10. The method of claim 7, wherein said dendritic cells are isolated from an individual prior to said exposure, wherein said activated dendritic cells are reintroduced into said individual subsequent to said exposure.
- 11. The method of claim 10, wherein said individual has a cancer, is suspected of having a cancer or is at risk of getting a cancer, wherein said cancer is selected from the group consisting of ovarian cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer and colon cancer.
- 12. A method of immunotherapy targeted toward stratum corneum chymotrytic enzyme (SCCE) in an individual, comprising the steps of:
a) isolating dendritic cells from said individual; b) expressing a SCCE protein or fragment thereof in said dendritic cells; and c) transferring said dendritic cells back to said individual, wherein said dendritic cells would activate SCCE-specific immune responses in said individual, thereby generating immunotherapy targeted toward SCCE in said individual.
- 13. The method of claim 12, wherein said individual has cancer, is suspected of having cancer or is at risk of getting cancer, wherein said cancer is selected from the group consisting of ovarian cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer and colon cancer.
- 14. The method of claim 12, wherein said expression of SCCE in said dendritic cells is obtained by a mean selected from the group consisting of transfection, transduction and loading said dendritic cells with a SCCE protein or fragment thereof.
- 15. The method of claim 12, wherein the length of said SCCE fragment is from about 9-residue long to about 30-residue long.
- 16. The method of claim 15, wherein said fragment is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID Nos. 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 80, 86, 99 and 137.
- 17. A method of immunotherapy targeted toward stratum corneum chymotrytic enzyme (SCCE) in an individual, comprising the steps of:
a) isolating dendritic cells from said individual; b) expressing a SCCE protein or fragment thereof in said dendritic cells; c) exposing immune cells comprising T cells isolated from said individual to said dendritic cells, wherein said dendritic cells would generate SCCE-specific T cells from said immune cells; and d) transferring said immune cells back to said individual, wherein said immune cells would activate SCCE-specific immune responses in said individual, thereby generating immunotherapy targeted toward SCCE in said individual.
- 18. The method of claim 17, wherein said individual has cancer, is suspected of having cancer or is at risk of getting cancer, wherein said cancer is selected from the group consisting of ovarian cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer and colon cancer.
- 19. The method of claim 17, wherein said expression of SCCE in said dendritic cells is obtained by a mean selected from the group consisting of transfection, transduction and loading said dendritic cells with a SCCE protein or fragment thereof.
- 20. The method of claim 17, wherein the length of said hepsin fragment is from about 9-residue long to about 30-residue long.
- 21. The method of claim 20, wherein said fragment is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID Nos. 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 80, 86, 99 and 137.
- 22. A method of monitoring the efficacy of vaccinating an individual with stratum corneum chymotrytic enzyme (SCCE) or SCCE peptide, said method comprises the steps of:
vaccinating said individual with said SCCE or SCCE peptide; isolating T cells from said individual; and measuring immune responses induced by said SCCE or SCCE peptide, wherein an increased level of immune responses compared to those exhibited by cells from normal individual indicates that said individual has been vaccinated by said SCCE or SCCE peptide.
- 23. The method of claim 22, wherein said immune response is selected from the group consisting of T cell proliferation induced by said SCCE or SCCE peptide, frequency of cytokine-secreting T cells specific to said SCCE or SCCE peptide and frequency of T cells expressing T cell receptor specific to said SCCE or SCCE peptide.
- 24. The method of claim 22, wherein said SCCE peptide is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID Nos. 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 80, 86, 99 and 137.
- 25. A method of inhibiting expression of endogenous SCCE in a cell, comprising the step of:
introducing into said cell a vector comprising a sequence complementary to SEQ ID No.30, wherein expression of said vector in said cell produces SCCE antisense RNA that hybridizes to endogenous SCCE mRNA, thereby inhibiting expression of endogenous SCCE in said cell.
- 26. A method of inhibiting stratum corneum chymotrytic enzyme protein in a cell, comprising the step of:
introducing into said cell an antibody specific for a stratum corneum chymotrytic enzyme (SCCE) protein or a fragment thereof, wherein binding of said antibody to said stratum corneum chymotrytic enzyme protein inhibits said stratum corneum chymotrytic enzyme protein in said cell.
- 27. The method of claim 26, wherein said SCCE protein fragment is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID Nos. 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 80, 86, 99 and 137.
- 28. A method of targeted therapy to an individual, comprising the step of:
administering a compound to an individual, wherein said compound has a therapeutic moiety and a targeting moiety specific for stratum corneum chymotrytic enzyme.
- 29. The method of claim 28, wherein said targeting moiety is selected from the group consisting of an antibody specific for stratum corneum chymotrytic enzyme and a ligand or ligand binding domain that binds stratum corneum chymotrytic enzyme.
- 30. The method of claim 28, wherein said therapeutic moiety is selected from the group consisting of a radioisotope, a toxin, a chemotherapeutic agent, an immune stimulant and a cytotoxic agent.
- 31. The method of claim 28, wherein said individual suffers from a disease selected from the group consisting of ovarian cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, and colon cancer.
- 32. An immunogenic composition, comprising an immunogenic fragment of a stratum corneum chymotrytic enzyme protein and an appropriate adjuvant.
- 33. The immunogenic composition of claim 32, wherein the length of said stratum corneum chymotrytic enzyme fragment is from about 9-residue long to about 30-residue long.
- 34. The immunogenic composition of claim 33, wherein said 9-residue fragment is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID Nos. 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 80, 86, 99 and 137.
- 35. An oligonucleotide having a sequence complementary to SEQ ID No.30.
- 36. A composition comprising the oligonucleotide of claim 35 and a physiologically acceptable carrier.
- 37. A method of treating a neoplastic state in an individual in need of such treatment, comprising the step of:
administering to said individual an effective dose of the oligonucleotide of claim 35.
- 38. The method of claim 37, wherein said neoplastic state is selected from the group consisting of ovarian cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer and other cancers in which stratum corneum chymotrytic enzyme is overexpressed.
- 39. A method of screening for compounds that inhibit stratum corneum chymotrytic enzyme activity, comprising the steps of:
contacting a sample comprising stratum corneum chymotrytic enzyme protein with a compound; and assaying for stratum corneum chymotrytic enzyme protease activity, wherein a decrease in said stratum corneum chymotrytic enzyme protease activity in the presence of said compound relative to stratum corneum chymotrytic enzyme protease activity in the absence of said compound indicates said compound inhibits stratum corneum chymotrytic enzyme activity.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This is a continuation-in-part application which claims the benefit of priority under 35 USC §120 of U.S. Ser. No. 10/372,521, filed Feb. 21, 2003, which is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. Ser. No. 09/918,243, filed Jul. 30, 2001, which is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. Ser. No. 09/905,083, filed Jul. 13, 2001, which is a divisional application of U.S. Pat. No. 6,294,344, which is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. Pat. No. 6,303,318, which claims benefit of provisional patent application U.S. Ser. No. 60/041,404, filed Mar. 19, 1997, now abandoned.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Date |
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60041404 |
Mar 1997 |
US |
Divisions (1)
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Date |
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Parent |
09502600 |
Feb 2000 |
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Child |
09905083 |
Jul 2001 |
US |
Continuation in Parts (4)
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10372521 |
Feb 2003 |
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Child |
10831075 |
Apr 2004 |
US |
Parent |
09918243 |
Jul 2001 |
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Child |
10372521 |
Feb 2003 |
US |
Parent |
09905083 |
Jul 2001 |
US |
Child |
09918243 |
Jul 2001 |
US |
Parent |
09039211 |
Mar 1998 |
US |
Child |
09502600 |
Feb 2000 |
US |