The instant invention involves the use of a combination of preparatory steps in conjunction with mass spectroscopy and time-of-flight detection procedures to maximize the diversity of biopolymers which are verifiable within a particular sample. The cohort of biopolymers verified within such a sample is then viewed with reference to their ability to evidence at least particular disease state; thereby enabling a diagnostician to gain the ability to characterize either the presence or the absence of at least one disease state relative to recognition of the presence and/or the absence of the biopolymer, predict disease risk assessment, and develop therapeutic avenues against the disease.

Description of the Invention

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The instant invention is characterized by the use of a combination of preparatory steps, e.g. chromatography and 1-D tricine polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Subsequent to which the gel is stained, e.g. with Coomasie blue, silver or rubidium. Next, bands are selected from the gels for further study. Tryptic digestion of each band follows, concluding with the extraction of tryptic peptides from the digest. This extraction may be accomplished utilizing C18 ZIPTIPs, or organic extract and dry technique followed by MALDI Qq TOF (Maldi Quadrupole Quadrupole Time of Flight) processing.

Additional methodologies may include SELDI MS, 2-D gel technology, MALDI MS/MS and time-of-flight detection procedures to maximize the diversity of biopolymers which are verifiable within a particular sample. The cohort of biopolymers verified within a sample is then compared to develop data indicating their presence, absence or relative strength/concentration in disease vs normal controls, and further studied to determine whether the up-regulation or down-regulation of a single biopolymer or group of biopolymers is indicative of a disease state or predictive of the development of said disease state. Additionally, biopolymers recognized as being indicative or predictive of a disease state in accordance with the instant invention are useful in therapeutic intervention, e.g. as therapeutic modalities in their own right, in the course of therapeutic target recognition, in the development and validation of efficacious therapeutic modalities, e.g when interrogating or developing phage display libraries, and as ligands or receptors for use in conjunction with therapeutic intervention.

Although all manner of biomarkers related to all disease conditions are deemed to be within the purview of the instant invention and methodology, particular significance was given to those markers and diseases associated with the complement system, cognitive diseases, e.g. Alzheimer's disease and Syndrome X and diseases related thereto.

The complement system is an important part of non-clonal or innate immunity that collaborates with acquired immunity to destroy invading pathogens and to facilitate the clearance of immune complexes from the system. This system is the major effector of the humoral branch of the immune system, consisting of nearly 30 serum and membrane proteins. The proteins and glycoproteins composing the complement system are synthesized largely by liver hepatocytes. Activation of the complement system involves a sequential enzyme cascade in which the proenzyme product of one step becomes the enzyme catalyst of the next step. Complement activation can occur via two pathways: the classical and the alternative. The classical pathway is commonly initiated by the formation of soluble antigen-antibody complexes or by the binding of antibody to antigen on a suitable target, such as a bacterial cell. The alternative pathway is generally initiated by various cell-surface constituents that are foreign to the host. Each complement component is designated by numerals (C1-C9), by letter symbols, or by trivial names. After a component is activated, the peptide fragments are denoted by small letters. The complement fragments interact with one another to form functional complexes. Ultimately, foreign cells are destroyed through the process of a membrane-attack complex mediated lysis.

The C4 component of the complement system is involved in the classical activation pathway. It is a glycoprotein containing three polypeptide chains (.alpha., .beta., and .gamma.). C4 is a substrate of component C1s and is activated when C1s hydrolyzes a small fragment (C4a) from the amino terminus of the .alpha. chain, exposing a binding site on the larger fragment (C4b).

The native C3 component consists of two polypeptide chains, .alpha. and .beta.. As a serum protein, C3 is involved in the alternative pathway. Serum C3, which contains an unstable thioester bond, is subject to slow spontaneous hydrolysis into C3a and C3b. The C3f component is involved in the regulation required of the complement system which confines the reaction to designated targets. During the regulation process, C3b is cleaved into two parts: C3bi and C3f. C3bi is a membrane-bound intermediate wherein C3f is a free diffusible (soluble) component.

Complement components have been implicated in the pathogenesis of several disease conditions. C3 deficiencies have the most severe clinical manifestations, such as recurrent bacterial infections and immune-complex diseases, reflecting the central role of C3. The rapid profusion of C3f moieties and resultant "accidental" lysis of normal cells mediated thereby gives rise to a host of auto-immune reactions. The ability to understand and control these mechanisms, along with their attendant consequences, will enable practitioners to develop both diagnostic and therapeutic avenues by which to thwart these maladies.

In the course of defining a plurality of disease specific marker sequences, special significance was given to markers which were evidentiary of a particular disease state or with conditions associated with Syndrome-X. Syndrome-X is a multifaceted syndrome, which occurs frequently in the general population. A large segment of the adult population of industrialized countries develops this metabolic syndrome, produced by genetic, hormonal and lifestyle factors such as obesity, physical inactivity and certain nutrient excesses. This disease is characterized by the clustering of insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia, and is often associated with dyslipidemia (atherogenic plasma lipid profile), essential hypertension, abdominal (visceral) obesity, glucose intolerance or noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and an increased risk of cardiovascular events. Abnormalities of blood coagulation (higher plasminogen activator inhibitor type I and fibrinogen levels), hyperuricemia and microalbuminuria have also been found in metabolic syndrome-X.

The instant inventors view the Syndrome X continuum in its cardiovascular light, while acknowledging its important metabolic component. The first stage of Syndrome X consists of insulin resistance, abnormal blood lipids (cholesterol, triglycerides and free fatty acids), obesity, and high blood pressure (hypertension). Any one of these four first stage conditions signals the start of Syndrome X.

Each first stage Syndrome X condition risks leading to another. For example, increased insulin production is associated with high blood fat levels, high blood pressure, and obesity. Furthermore, the effects of the first stage conditions are additive; an increase in the number of conditions causes an increase in the risk of developing more serious diseases on the Syndrome X continuum.

A patient who begins the Syndrome X continuum risks spiraling into a maze of increasingly deadly diseases. The next stages of the Syndrome X continuum lead to overt diabetes, kidney failure, and heart failure, with the possibility of stroke and heart attack at any time. Syndrome X is a dangerous continuum, and preventative medicine is the best defense. Diseases are currently most easily diagnosed in their later stages, but controlling them at a late stage is extremely difficult. Disease prevention is much more effective at an earlier stage.

In a further contemplated embodiment of the invention, samples may be taken from a patient at one point in time, as a single sample or as multiple samples, or at different points in time such that analysis is carried out on multiple samples for ongoing analysis. Typically, a first sample is taken from a patient upon presentation with possible symptoms of a disease and analyzed according to the invention. Subsequently, some period of time after presentation, for example, about 3-6 months after the first presentation, a second sample is taken and analyzed according to the invention. The data can be used, by way of example, to diagnose or monitor a disease state, determine risk assessment, identify therapeutic avenues, or determine the therapeutic value of an agent such as a pharmaceutical.

Subsequent to the isolation of particular disease state marker sequences as taught by the instant invention, the promulgation of various forms of risk assessment tests are contemplated which will allow physicians to identify asymptomatic patients before they suffer an irreversible event such as diabetes, kidney failure, and heart failure, and enable effective disease management and preventative medicine. Additionally, the specific diagnostic tests which evolve from this methodology provide a tool for rapidly and accurately diagnosing acute Syndrome X events such as heart attack and stroke, and facilitate treatment.

More particularly, biopolymer markers elucidated via methodologies of the instant invention find utility related to broad areas of disease therapeutics. Such therapeutic avenues include, but are not limited to:

1) utilization and recognition of said biopolymer markers, variants or moieties thereof as direct therapeutic modalities, either alone or in conjunction with an effective amount of a pharmaceutically effective carrier;

2) validation of therapeutic modalities or disease preventative agents as a function of biopolymer marker presence or concentration;

3) treatment or prevention of a disease state by formation of disease intervention modalities; e.g. formation of biopolymer/ligand conjugates which intervene at receptor sites to prevent, delay or reverse a disease process;

4) use of biopolymer markers or moieties thereof as a means of elucidating therapeutically viable agents, e.g. from a bacteriophage peptide display library, a bacteriophage antibody library or the like;

5) instigation of a therapeutic immunological response; and

6) synthesis of molecular structures related to said biopolymer markers, moieties or variants thereof which are constructed and arranged to therapeutically intervene in the disease process.

A process for identifying or developing therapeutic avenues related to a disease state utilizing any of the above examples may follow results obtained from conducting an analysis inclusive of interacting with a biopolymer including the sequence of the particular disease specific marker or at least one analyte thereof of the present invention. Such treatment or prevention of a disease state by formation of disease intervention modalities may be by the formation of biopolymer/ligand conjugates which intervene at receptor sites to prevent, delay, or reverse a disease process. In addition, a means of elucidating therapeutically viable agents may include the use of a bacteriophage peptide display library or a bacteriophage antibody library. The therapeutic avenues may regulate the presence or absence of the biopolymer including the sequence of the particular disease specific marker or at least one analyte thereof in the present invention.

Accordingly, it is an objective of the instant invention to define a disease specific biopolymer marker sequence which is useful in evidencing and categorizing at least one particular disease state.

It is an additional objective of the instant invention to develop methods and means of disease therapy, including but not limited to:

1) utilization and recognition of said biopolymer markers, variants or moieties thereof as direct therapeutic modalities, either alone or in conjunction with an effective amount of a pharmaceutically effective carrier;

2) validation of therapeutic modalities or disease preventative agents as a function of biopolymer marker presence or concentration;

3) treatment or prevention of a disease state by formation of disease intervention modalities; e.g. formation of biopolymer/ligand conjugates which intervene at receptor sites to prevent, delay or reverse a disease process;

4) use of biopolymer markers or moieties thereof as a means of elucidating therapeutically viable agents, e.g. from a bacteriophage peptide display library, a bacteriophage antibody library or the like;

5) instigation of a therapeutic immunological response; and

6) synthesis of molecular structures related to said biopolymer markers, moieties or variants thereof which are constructed and arranged to therapeutically intervene in the disease process, e.g. by directly determining the three-dimensional structure of said biopolymer marker directly from an amino acid sequence thereof.

It is another objective of the instant invention to evaluate samples containing a plurality of biopolymers for the presence of disease specific biopolymer marker sequences (disease specific markers) which evidence a link to at least one specific disease state.

It is a further objective of the instant invention to elucidate essentially all biopolymeric markers, moieties or variants thereof contained within said samples, whereby particularly significant moieties may be identified.

It is a further objective of the instant invention provide at least one purified antibody which is specific to said disease specific marker sequence.

It is yet another objective of the instant invention to teach a monoclonal antibody which is specific to said disease specific marker sequence.

It is a still further objective of the invention to teach polyclonal antibodies raised against said disease specific marker.

It is yet an additional objective of the instant invention to teach a diagnostic kit for determining the presence, concentration, or relative strength/concentration of said disease specific marker.

It is a still further objective of the instant invention to teach methods for characterizing disease state based upon the identification of said disease specific marker.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In earlier work, for example in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/846,330 filed Apr. 30, 2000, the contents of which is herein incorporated by reference, raw sera was obtained and mixed with formic acid and extracted the peptides with C18 reversed phase ZIPTIPs.

In the instantly disclosed invention, we deal with proteins generally having a molecular weight of about 20 kD or more. In general, proteins of greater than 20 kD can reliably be fragmented by trypsin or other enzymes. The instant technology incorporates sufficient sensitivity to deal with even the low production of peptides from proteins less than 20 kD clipped from gel.

Proteins differ from peptides in that they cannot be effectively resolved by time of flight MS and they are too large (>3 kD) to be effectively fragmented by collision with gases. The most commonly used solution to these problems is to resolve the proteins by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by staining with silver, or coomasie brilliant blue or rubidium dyes or counter staining with Zinc-SDS complexes. Once the proteins have been resolved and visualized with stains the proteins that differ between disease states can then be excised from the gel and the protein purified in the 1-D gel band or 2-D gel spot can be cleaved into fragments less that 3 kD by proteolytic enzymes. Once protein has been resolved by gel and cleaved by enzymes, the protein is considered in the form of peptides and therefore can be dealt with as per earlier work (09/846,330). The peptide is either collected and purified with C18 reversed phase chromatography or by some other form of chromatography prior to reversed phase separation. The peptide can also be collected in ammonium carbonate buffer that is subsequently evolved by reaction with acid or by removal in organic solvents.

Once the peptides are collected they can be sequenced, e.g. with a MALDI-Qq-TOF but also with a TOF-TOF, and ESI-Q-TOF or an ION-TRAP. Other types of MS analysis which may be employed are SELDI MS and MS/MS. The peptides are fragments of the original protein. The peptides are sequenced by fragmentation to produced a spectrum composed of the parts of the peptide. The peptide fragments can be produced by a strong ionization energy with a laser, temperature, electron capture, collision between the peptides themselves or with other objects such as gas molecules. The spacing in terms of mass between the parts of the peptides is a fragmentation pattern. The fragmentation pattern of each peptide from the starting mass to the last remaining amino acid (from either end) is unique.

The human genome contains the genes that encode all proteins. The proteolytic cut sites within all these proteins can be predicted from the translated amino acid sequence. The mass of the peptides that result from the predicting cut sites can be calculated. Similarly, the fragmentation pattern from each hypothetical peptide can be predicted. Thus, we can conceptually digest the proteins within the human proteome and fragment them.

When a peptide has been "sequenced" it is understood that the peptide fragment has been purified by one of the methods above, i.e. Time of flight (TOF) or by chromatography, before fragmenting it with gas to produce the peptide fragments. The original peptide mass and fragmentation pattern obtained is then fit to those from the theoretical digestion and fragmentation of the genome. The peptide that best matches the theoretical peptides and fragments and is biologically possible, i.e. a potential human blood-borne protein, is thus identified. It is possible to identify plural targets in this fashion.
 

Claim 1 of 8 Claims

1. An isolated biopolymer marker consisting of SEQ ID NO:1 indicative of insulin resistance

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