La Jolla Cancer Research Foundation

La Jolla Cancer Research Center

Marti F Bierhuizen

Minoru Fukuda

The present invention provides an isolated nucleic acid molecule encoding both a soluble and membrane-bound human .beta.-1,6-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase, the I-branching enzyme (IGnT). The invention also provides vectors containing the isolated nucleic acid molecule encoding human IGnT as well as recombinant host cells transformed with the vectors. The invention further provides a method of preparing a membrane-bound form of human IGnT and methods of preparing and purifying soluble human IGnT and active fragments of either form. Also provided are antisense oligonucleotides complementary to a nucleic acid molecule encoding a human IGnT or an active fragment thereof, antibodies directed to the human IGnT, pharmaceutical compositions related to the human IGnT and transgenic nonhuman mammals expressing DNA encoding normal or mutant human IGnT. Also provided are methods for regulating the expression of human IGnT and methods for modifying a biological function mediated by the regulatory activity of human IGnT. Methods of detecting the presence of linear polylactosaminoglycans expressing i antigenic determinants on a cell surface also are provided.

Expression of the developmental I antigen by a cloned human cDNA

Antibodies to human I-branching beta-1,6-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase

The present invention provides a novel .beta.1.fwdarw.6 N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase, which forms core 2 oligosaccharide structures in O-glycans, and a novel acceptor molecule, leukosialin, CD43, for core 2 .beta.1.fwdarw.6 N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase activity. The amino acid sequences and nucleic acid sequences encoding these molecules, as well as active fragments thereof, also are disclosed. A method for isolating nucleic acid sequences encoding proteins having enzymatic activity is disclosed, using CHO cells that support replication of plasmid vectors having a polyoma virus origin of replication. A method to obtain a suitable cell line that expresses an acceptor molecule also is disclosed.

Antibody specific for .beta.1.fwdarw.6 N-acetylglucosamininyltransferase

.beta.1-6 N-acetylglucosaminyl, transferase, its acceptor molecule,

.beta.1 6 N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase, its acceptor molecule,

Human .beta.1-6 n-acetylglucosaminyl transferase

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San Diego, CA, United States of America

Marti F Bierhuizen