Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College

United States of America, As Represented by the Secretary of Agriculture

Lane D Foil

Jesse M Jaynes

Frederick M Enright

William Hansel

Philip H Elzer

Samuel M McCann

Wen H Yu

Patricia A Melrose

Kenneth L Koonce

Adalberto A Perez De Leon

Felicito Guerrero

Daniel R Swale

Andrew Y Li

Samuel M Mccann

Modulation of inward potassium ion conductance with structurally diverse small-molecules in the arthropod salivary gland induces arthropod salivary gland failure that results in a reduction or elimination in the ability of the arthropod to feed. Administering Kir channel inhibitors reduces food intake, increases feeding time, reduces salivary gland secretion, induces mortality, and reduces transmission of vector-borne pathogens. Kir channel inhibitors induce these adverse effects in ticks, mosquitoes, horn flies, and aphids.

Method for controlling hematophagous or sap-feeding arthropods

Compositions of either the Rm86Texas protein from a Texas outbreak strain of the southern cattle fever tick,, or a nucleic acid construct incorporating a nucleic acid sequence encoding this Rm86Texas protein, are effective for eliciting a protective immune response in non-bovine animals. The Rm86Texas protein is immunogenic and can be administered as a protein vaccine, or in the alternative, the nucleic acid construct can be utilized as a DNA vaccine. Induction of the immune response significantly reduces or eliminates the infestation of treated, non-bovine animals with ticks. Moreover, as ticks are vectors of a variety of pathogens, the reduction in the incidence of tick infestation afforded by the vaccines may concurrently reduce the incidence of diseases caused by these pathogens in susceptible animals.

Vaccination with anti-tick antigens to control multiple tick species and disease transmission in white-tailed deer and other host animals

Compositions of either the aquaporin protein from the cattle tick,, or a nucleic acid construct incorporating a nucleic acid sequence encoding this aquaporin protein, are effective for eliciting a protective immune response against other tick species in non-bovine animals. Theaquaporin protein is antigenic and can be administered as a protein vaccine, or in the alternative, the nucleic acid construct can be utilized as a DNA vaccine. Induction of the immune response significantly reduces or eliminates the infestation of treated, non-bovine animals with ticks other than the cattle tick, particularly the brown dog tick,. Moreover, as ticks are vectors of a variety of pathogenic agents, the reduction in the incidence of tick infestation afforded by the vaccines may concurrently reduce the incidence of diseases caused by these pathogenic agents in susceptible animals.

Vaccination of companion animals to elicit a protective immune response against tick infestations and tick-borne pathogen transmission

Amphipathic lytic peptides are ideally suited to use in a ligand/cytotoxin combination to specifically inhibit cells that are driven by or are dependent upon a specific ligand interaction; for example, to induce sterility or long-term contraception, or to attack tumor cells, or to selectively lyse virally-infected cells, or to attack lymphocytes responsible for autoimmune diseases. The peptides act directly on cell membranes, and need not be internalized. Administering a combination of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) (or a GnRH agonist) and a membrane-active lytic peptide produces long-term contraception or sterilization in animals in vivo. Administering in vivo a combination of a ligand and a membrane-active lytic peptide kills cells with a receptor for the ligand. The compounds are relatively small, and are not antigenic. Lysis of gonadotropes has been observed to be very rapid (on the order of ten minutes.) Lysis of tumor cells is rapid. The two components&#x2014;the ligand and the lytic peptide&#x2014;may optionally be administered as a fusion peptide, or they may be administered separately, with the ligand administered slightly before the lytic peptide, to activate cells with receptors for the ligand, and thereby make those cells susceptible to lysis by the lytic peptide. The compounds may be used in gene therapy to treat malignant or non-malignant tumors, and other diseases caused by clones or populations of 'normal' host cells bearing specific receptors (such as lymphocytes), because genes encoding a lytic peptide or encoding a lytic peptide/peptide hormone fusion may readily be inserted into hematopoietic stem cells or myeloid precursor cells.

Ligand/lytic peptide methods of use

Genes encoding hormone and lytic peptides

Amphipathic lytic peptides are ideally suited to use in a ligand/cytotoxin combination to specifically inhibit cells that are driven by or are dependent upon a specific ligand interaction; for example, to induce sterility or long-term contraception, or to attack tumor cells, or to selectively lyse virally-infected cells, or to attack lymphocytes responsible for autoimmune diseases. The peptides act directly on cell membranes, and need not be internalized. Administering a combination of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) (or a GnRH agonist) and a membrane-active lytic peptide produces long-term contraception or sterilization in animals in vivo. Administering in vivo a combination of a ligand and a membrane-active lytic peptide kills cells with a receptor for the ligand. The compounds are relatively small, and are not antigenic. Lysis of gonadotropes has been observed to be very rapid (on the order of ten minutes.) Lysis of tumor cells is rapid. The two components&mdash;the ligand and the lytic peptide&mdash;may optionally be administered as a fusion peptide, or they may be administered separately, with the ligand administered slightly before the lytic peptide, to activate cells with receptors for the ligand, and thereby make those cells susceptible to lysis by the lytic peptide. The compounds may be used in gene therapy to treat malignant or non-malignant tumors, and other diseases caused by clones or populations of &ldquo;normal&rdquo; host cells bearing specific receptors (such as lymphocytes), because genes encoding a lytic peptide or encoding a lytic peptide/peptide hormone fusion may readily be inserted into hematopoietic stem cells or myeloid precursor cells.

Ligand/lytic peptide compositions and methods of use

Growing community of inventors

Baton Rouge, LA, United States of America

Lane D Foil