Columbia University

University of California

Other

Jane Dodd

Thomas M Jessell

Timothy F Kennedy

Marc Tessier-Lavigne

Tito A Serafini

Marysia Placzek

Thomas Edlund

Henk Roelink

Merysia Placzek

Netrin proteins, nucleic acids which encode netrin proteins and hybridization reagents, probes and primers capable of hybridizing with netrin genes and methods for screening chemical libraries for lead compounds for pharmacological agents are provided.

Netrins

This invention provides an isolated nucleic acid molecule encoding a vhh-1 protein, an isolated protein which is a vhh-1 protein, vectors comprising an isolated nucleic acid molecule encoding a vhh-1 protein, mamunalian cells comprising such vectors, antibodies directed to a vhh-1 protein, nucleic acid probes useful for detecting a nucleic acid molecule encoding a vhh-1 protein, pharmaceutical compositions related to the vhh-1 proteins, nonhuman transgenic animals which express a normal or a mutant vhh-1 protein. This invention further provides methods for inducing differentiation of floor plate cell, motor neuron, generating ventral neurons and treatments for alleviating abnormalities associated with the vhh-1 protein.

DNA encoding a vertebrate homolog of hedgehog, Vhh-1, expressed by the notochord, and uses thereof

This invention provides an isolated nucleic acid molecule encoding a vertebrate Vhh-1 protein. The preferred embodiments are rat and human Vhh-1 protein. This invention provides purified vertebrate Vhh-1 protein and a method to purify same. This invention provides isolated nucleic acid molecules encoding a human and a rat Vhh-1 protein and the purified rat and human Vhh-1 protein encoded by same. This invention provides a vector encoding a vertebrate Vhh-1 protein and mammalian cells comprising such vectors. This invention provides antibodies directed to a vertebrate Vhh-1 protein. This invention further provides nucleic acid probes useful for detecting a nucleic acid molecule encoding a vertebrate Vhh-1 protein. This invention provides pharmaceutical compounds comprising the human Vhh-1 protein. This invention provides nonhuman transgenic animals which express DNA encoding a vertebrate Vhh-1 protein. This invention provides treatments for alleviating abnormalities associated with the vertebrate Vhh-1 protein.

Rat hedgehog protein-1 (Vhh-1)

Netrins, nucleic acids which encode netrin proteins and hybridization reagents, probes and primers capable of hybridizing with netrin genes and methods for screening chemical libraries for lead compounds for pharmacological agents are provided.

A novel classes of neural axon outgrowth promoting and orienting proteins, nucleic acids encoding such proteins and receptors which selectively bind such proteins are disclosed. The disclosed neural axon outgrowth promoting and orienting proteins include the laminin-related p75/p78 family; a family of vertebrate proteins which promote axon outgrowth and/or orientation, and p75/p78 family-specific receptors, including receptors found on spinal nerve axons, especially growth cones. Also disclosed are agents including peptides derived from the disclosed neural axon outgrowth promoting proteins capable of effecting axon outgrowth, orientation and regeneration. These agents provide small molecular weight modulators of nerve cell growth useful in the treatment of neurological disease and injury. The disclosed compositions also find use variously in screening chemical libraries for regulators of axon outgrowth and orientation, in genetic mapping, as probes for related genes, as diagnostic reagents for genetic neurological disease and in the production of specific cellular and animal systems for the development of neurological disease therapy.

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New York, NY, United States of America

Jane Dodd