The Wistar Institute

Alban J Linnenbach

Hilary Koprowski

Dorothee Herlyn

Stanislaw Szala

The present invention describes novel soluble variants of type I membrane protein GA733-2 and methods of making and using them. In addition, the present invention describes a method of converting type I membrane proteins into secretory proteins which may be used for active immunotherapy against carcinomas and as reagents in the detection of GA733-2 expression on tumor cells.

Soluble variants of type I membrane proteins, and methods of using them

The human tumor-associated antigen CO-029 is a monoclonal antibody-defined, 27-34 kDa cell surface glycoprotein. A full-length cDNA clone for CO-029 is described. When transiently expressed in COS cells, the cDNA clone directs the synthesis of an antigen reactive with monoclonal antibody CO-029 in mixed hemadsorption and immunoblot assays. Sequence analysis reveals that CO-029 belongs to a family of cell surface antigens which includes the melanoma-associated antigen ME491, the leukocyte cell surface antigen CD37, and the Sm23 antigen of the parasitic helminth Schistosoma mansoni.

DNA and polypeptide for tumor-associated antigen CO-029

A tumor-associated antigen, GA733-1, has been discovered which shares sequence homology with both thyroglobulin type I and interleukin-2 receptors. The antigen is highly expressed in pancreatic carcinoma cells. The antigen is similar to a previously described tumor-associated antigen found in colorectal carcinoma cells. The gene for the antigen is fully sequenced and described here.

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Philadelphia, PA, United States of America

Alban J Linnenbach