The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 15, 2002
Filed:
Jan. 20, 1999
H. Robert Horvitz, Cambridge, MA (US);
Michael Hengartner, Boston, MA (US);
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (US);
Abstract
The present invention relates to genes, referred to herein as cell death-protective genes, which protect cells against programmed cell death by antagonizing the activities of genes which cause cell death. As described herein, a cell death-protective gene from the nematode , called ced-9, has been identified, sequenced, and characterized. ced-9 is essential for development and apparently functions by protecting cells which normally live during development from programmed cell death. Mutations which constitutively activate and inactivate the ced-9 gene are also described. ced-9 was shown to function by antagonizing the activities of the cell death genes, ced-3 and ced-4. As further described, the protein product of the human oncogene bcl-2 was found to have a similar sequence to the ced-9 protein. Methods and agents for both increasing and decreasing the occurrence of cell death are described that are potentially useful for diagnosis, prevention and therapy of diseases and conditions involving cell death; for the treatment of viral, parasitic, and other types of infection; and for killing organisms that are detrimental or potentially detrimental to the environment or to humans, pets, livestock, or agriculture.