The Cleveland Clinic Foundation

Other

University of California

The United States of America

Robert H Silverman

Aimin Zhou

Paul F Torrence

Guiying Li

Bret A Hassel

Krystyna Lesiak

Wei Hao Xiao

Nick Mario Cirino

Sandy Der

Bryan R G Williams

Paul Torrence

Ratan Maitra

Dibyendu N SenGupta

Mark R Player

Joseph L DeRisi

Amitava Mitra

Graham Casey

Eric A Klein

Ratan K Maitra

Don Ganem

Fulvia Terenzi

Seiji Kondo

John K Cowell

The present invention provides for isolated nucleic acid sequences encoding viruses; isolated polypeptides comprising amino acid sequences of the virus; vectors comprising the viral nucleic acid sequences; cells comprising the vectors; antibodies and antigen binding fragments thereof which have binding specificity for the virus; methods of detecting or screening for the virus (e.g., in an individual); methods of identifying agents that inhibit the virus; methods of inducing an immune response to the virus; methods of treating disease associated with the presence of XMRV in an individual (e.g., cancer such as prostate cancer); methods of detecting asymptomatic cancer (e.g., prostate cancer); methods of identifying an individual at risk for developing cancer (e.g., prostate cancer); and kits for detecting the virus.

Gammaretrovirus associated with cancer

Mammalian somatic cells having a homozygous disruption in the gene which encodes the endonbonuclease RNase L and a homyzgous disruption in the gene which encodes the double-stranded RNA dependent kinase PKR are provided. Methods for producing enhanced levels of recombinant proteins in mammalian cell systems are also provided. In one aspect the method employs cells having a homozygous disruption in the RNase L gene and a homozygous disruption in the PKR gene and comprises transfecting the cells with a nucleic acid, or polynucleotide, encoding a desired, exogenous protein; expressing the exogenous protein in the cell; and isolating the exogenous protein from the transfected cells. In another aspect the method employs RNase L null cells transfected with a nucleic acid encoding a desired, exogenous protein. In another aspect the methods employ mutant cells hating a homozygous disruption in the PKR gene, i.e. PKR null cells.

Mutant cell lines and methods for producing enhanced levels of recombinant proteins

The present invention relates to chimeric molecules comprising an oligonucleotide complementary to a region of the ribonucleotide component of telomerase attached to an activator of RNase L (&ldquo;activator-antisense complex&rdquo;) which specifically cleaves the ribonucleotide portion of a telomerase enzyme. The present invention relates to methods of inhibiting telomerase enzymatic activity with activator-antisense complexes targeted to the RNA component of telomerase. The present invention further relates to methods of treating malignant neoplastic disease, wherein the malignant cells contain a telomerase activity that is necessary for the growth of the malignant cells.

RNase L activators and antisense oligonucleotides effective to treat telomerase-expressing malignancies

Methods and model systems for identifying and characterizing new therapeutic agents, particularly proteins, which mimic or inhibit the activity of all interferons, Type I interferons, IFN-&agr;, IFN-&bgr;, or IFN-&ggr;. The method comprises administering an interferon selected from the group consisting of IFN-&agr;, IFN &bgr;, IFN-&tgr;, IFN-&ohgr;, IFN-&ggr;, and combinations thereof to cultured cells, administering the candidate agent to a duplicate culture of cells; and measuring the effect of the candidate agent and the interferon on the transcription or translation of one or, preferably, a plurality of the interferon stimulated genes or the interferon repressed genes (hereinafter referred to as &ldquo;ISG's&rdquo; and &ldquo;IRGs&rdquo;, respectively). The model system is an array with gene probes that hybridize with from about 100 to about 5000 ISG and IRG transcripts.

Arrays for identifying agents which mimic or inhibit the activity of interferons

Chimeric molecules comprising a virus targeting antisense oligonucleotide moiety attached to an activator of 2-5A-dependent RNase.

Chimeric molecules targeted to viral RNAs

The present invention relates to methods of inhibiting infection by RNA viruses with complexes of an activator of RNase L and an oligonucleotide that is capable of binding to the genome, antigenome or mRNAs of a negative strand RNA virus to specifically cleave the genomic or antigenomic RNA strand of the virus. In accordance with the present invention, the methods and complexes of the invention may be applied to target any negative strand RNA virus. The invention in one embodiment relates to a covalently linked complex of an oligonucleotide that is capable of binding to the genomic or antigenomic template RNA strand of a negative strand RNA virus and/or binding to an mRNA of a viral protein (an &ldquo;antisense oligonucleotide&rdquo;) coupled to an activator of RNase L. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the oligonucleotide component of the complex is complementary to a region of the viral genomic RNA strand characterized by repeated or consensus sequences.

RNase L activators and antisense oligonucleotides effective to treat RSV infections

The present invention provides a mutant, non-human mammal, particularly a mutant mouse, having a homozygous disruption in the RNase L gene thereof. Since the homozygous disruption in the RNase L gene leads to minimal if any production of RNase L in the mutant mammals, such mutant mammals are useful for assessing the effect of antiviral drugs on the induction, synthesis, or activation of RNase L. The present invention also relates to mutant, non-human, embryonic stem cell lines having a heterozygous disruption of the RNase L gene thereof, to isolated mammalian cells having a homozygous disruption in the RNase L gene thereof, and to a DNA construct comprising a DNA sequence of a disrupted coding exon of a RNase L gene.

Mice and cells with a homozygous disruption in the RNase L gene and

The invention concerns a compounds and methods for treating infection with Respiratory Syncytial Virus. The compounds comprise an antisense portion, which is complementary to a normally single stranded portion of the RSV antigenomic strand (the mRNA strand), a linker and a oligonucleotide activator of RNase L, a ubiquitous non-specific RNase. The method comprised forming a complex of an activated RNase L and the antisense molecule. The application teaches methods of determining which portions of the RSV antigenomic strand are normally single-stranded. The application teaches that an antisense oligonucleotide having the sequence of residues 8281-8299 of the RSV genome is particularly useful to practice the invention and provides in vitro results superior to those obtainable with the conventional drug of choice, ribavirin.

RNase L activators and antisense oligonucleotides effective to treat RSV

Isolated 2-5A-dependent RNases, an interferon-induced enzyme which is activated by 5'-phosphorylated, 2',5'-linked oligoadenylates (2-5A) and implicated in both the molecular mechanisms of interferon action and in the fundamental control of RNA stability in mammalian cells, and encoding sequences therefor are disclosed. The expression cloning and analysis of murine and human 2-5A-dependent RNases is also disclosed. Recombinant human 2-5A-dependent RNase produced in vitro bound an activating affinity matrix, 2-5A-cellulose, resulting in ribonuclease activity. The 2-5A binding properties of the recombinant and naturally occurring forms of 2-5A-dependent RNase are basically identical. Interferon induction of 2-5A-dependent RNase expression is demonstrated by measuring the mRNA levels in cells treated with interferon and cycloheximide. Analysis of aligned murine and human 2-5A-dependent RNase sequences revealed several features, including similarity to RNase E which is implicated in the control of mRNA stability in E. coli. A duplicated phosphate-binding loop motif is determined by deletion analysis and site-directed mutagenesis to function in the binding of 2-5A.

Animal 2-5A dependent RNases

2-5A-dependent RNase, an endoribonuclease that requires 5'-phosphorylated 2',5'-linked oligoadenylates (2-5A), functions in the molecular mechanism of interferon action. Recombinant, 2-5A-dependent RNase was expressed to high levels (at least 10% of the soluble protein) in insect cells by infecting with baculovirus containing human cDNA to 2-5A-dependent RNase. In contrast, there was no 2-5A-dependent RNase present in control insect cells infected with nonrecombinant baculovirus. The purified, recombinant enzyme eluted from a gel-filtration column as a monomer that showed potent and highly specific, 2-5A-dependent RNase activity. Precise activitor requirements were determined using the purified enzyme of a variety of 2',5'-linked oligonucleotides. The activated enzyme was capable of cleaving both poly(rU) and, to a lesser extent, poly(rA) but not poly(rC), poly(rG), or poly(dT. Interestingly, poly(rU) was cleaved to a series of discrete products ranging between 5 and 22 nucleotides in length. Furthermore, whereas manganese and magnesium stimulated 2-5A-dependent RNase activity, the enzyme was capable of cleaving RNA in the absence of divalent cations.

Animal 2-5A-dependent RNases and encoding sequences therefor

Isolated 2-5A-dependent RNases, an interferon-induced enzyme which is activated by 5'-phosphorylated, 2',5'-linked oligoadenylates (2-5A) and implicated in both the molecular mechanisms of interferon action and in the fundamental control of RNA stability in mammalian cells, and encoding sequences therefor are disclosed. The expression cloning and analysis of murine and human 2-5A-dependent RNases is also disclosed. Recombinant human 2-5A-dependent RNase produced in vitro bound an activating affinity matrix, 2-5A-cellulose, resulting in ribonuclease activity. The 2-5A binding properties of the recombinant and naturally occurring forms of 2-5A-dependent RNase are basically identical. Interferon induction of 2-5A-dependent RNase expression is demonstrated by measuring the mRNA levels in cells treated with interferon and cycloheximide. Analysis of aligned murine and human 2-5A-dependent RNase sequences revealed several features, including similarity to RNase E which is implicated in the control of mRNA stability in E. coli. A duplicated phosphate-binding loop motif is determined by deletion analysis and site-directed mutagenesis to function in the binding of 2-5A. In addition, recombinant nucleotide sequences, recombinant vectors, recombinant cells and antiviral plants which express, for example, amino acid sequences which have activity that interfere with or inhibit viral replication are disclosed.

Antiviral transgenic plants, vectors, cells and methods

Novel transgenic plants having the ability to express a functional 2-5A system, i.e., a 2-5A synthetase which produces 5'-phosphorylated, 2',5'-linked oligoadenylates (2-5A) in response to double stranded RNA (dsRNA), and a 2-5A-dependent (RNase L), are disclosed. The novel transgenic plants expressing the functional 2-5A system, such as novel transgenic tobacco plants, are immune to and resistant against viral infection. When the novel transgenic tobacco plants are exposed to three different types of plant viruses, i.e., TMV, TEV and AIMV, such viral exposure leads to necrotic local lesions in such transgenic tobacco plants instead of typical systemic infections.

Transgenic plants co-expressing a functional human 2-5A system

A method of using a chimeric molecule made up of an antisense oligonucleotide attached to a 2',5'-oligoadenylate molecule to specifically cleave a sense strand of RNA, wherein the antisense oligonucleotide of the chimeric molecule is hybridized to the sense strand of RNA in the presence of 2',5'-dependent RNase.

Growing community of inventors

Beachwood, OH, United States of America

Robert H Silverman