Compositions and methods for diagnosing and monitoring hyperthyroidism in a feline

• US 10,704,102 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2018
• Issued: 07/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hill's Pet Nutrition Incorporated (Colgate-Palmolive Company)
• Original Assignee: Hill's Pet Nutrition Incorporated (Colgate-Palmolive Company)
• Inventors: Al-Murrani, Samer Waleed Khedheyer, Gao, Xiangming
• Primary Examiner(s): Goldberg, Jeanine A
• Application Number:
  US16/184,396
• Publication Number:
  US 20190071728A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 33/30 Dietetic or nutritional methods, e.g. for losing weight A23L33/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A23V 2002/00 Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs
• CPC Class Codes: A61P 43/00 Drugs for specific purposes, not provided for in groups A61P1/00-A61P41/00
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 1/6883 for diseases caused by alterations of genetic material
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 2600/158 Expression markers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2800/046 Thyroid disorders
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2800/50 Determining the risk of developing a disease
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/6893 related to diseases not provided for elsewhere

Abstract

The present invention provides a method of diagnosing the existence or risk of hyperthyroidism in a feline comprising measuring the level of expression of one or more biomarkers selected from the group consisting of, e.g., IYD, TG, SLC5A5, NIS, TPO, TSHR, DUOX1, DUOX2 (ThOX), TGFB1, CSTD, DCN and SEPP1 and the expression products thereof, in a biological sample from the feline, wherein elevated expression of the one or more biomarkers in the sample relative to a control value for expression in a sample from a normal feline or feline population, or a baseline value from the feline, indicates the existence or risk of hyperthyroidism; a method of treating a feline so diagnosed; and compositions, reagents and kits for carrying out the specified methods.

Claims

1. A method of treating a feline suffering from hyperthyroidism, the method comprising:

measuring an increase of at least a three fold change in the level of expression of one or more biomarkers in a sample from a feline to a control value for expression in a sample from a normal feline or population of felines, and/or relative to a previous individual baseline value from the feline;

identifying the feline having an increase of at least three fold change in the level of expression as suffering from hyperthyroidism; and

treating the feline identified as suffering from hyperthryoidism by dietary intervention,

wherein treating the feline by dietary intervention comprises feeding the feline a diet comprising iodine in an amount of less than 0.35 mg/kg, selenium in an amount of less than 0.1 mg/kg, and/or arachidonic acid in an amount of less than or equal to 0.2%, and

wherein the one or more biomarkers exhibiting the increase in the level of expression comprises TPO.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring the increase of at least a three fold change in the level of expression of the one or more biomarkers comprises utilizing a microarray or a polymerase chain reaction:

wherein the microarray is a DNA microarray comprising one or more oligonucleotides complimentary to mRNA or cDNA corresponding to the one or more biomarkers to be measured, or

wherein the polymerase chain reaction is a quantitative polymerase chain reaction with oligonucleotide primers for mRNA or cDNA corresponding to the one or more biomarkers to be measured.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring the increase of at least a three fold change in the level of expression of the one or more biomarkers comprises:

isolating RNA from the sample,

reverse transcribing the RNA to obtain the corresponding cDNA,

isolating and fragmenting the cDNA thus obtained,

contacting the cDNA fragments with a DNA microarray comprising one or more oligonucleotides complementary to cDNA corresponding to the one or more biomarkers to be measured, and

detecting hybridization between the cDNA fragments and the one or more oligonucleotides in the DNA microarray.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the hybridization between the cDNA fragments and the one or more oligonucleotides in the DNA microarray is under stringent conditions.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the level of expression of the biomarker is detected by an antibody to the expressed protein.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the level of expression of the biomarker is detected by measuring the amount of protein in the sample using quantitative mass spectroscopy.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the level of expression is measured for at least five biomarkers from the same sample.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the sample is blood or a thyroid tissue.

9. A method of treating a feline suffering from hyperthyroidism, the method comprising:

measuring an increase of at least a three fold change in the level of expression of one or more biomarkers in a sample from a feline to a control value for expression in a sample from a normal feline or population of felines, and/or relative to a previous individual baseline value from the feline; and

identifying the feline having an increase of at least three fold change in the level of expression as suffering from hyperthyroidism; and

treating the feline identified as suffering from hyperthyroidism by pharmaceutical intervention,

wherein treating the feline by pharmaceutical intervention comprises administering an effective amount of a drug which inhibits production of T-4, administering radioiodine therapy, and/or performing a surgical thyroidectomy, and

wherein the one or more biomarkers exhibiting the increase in the level of expression comprises TPO.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein measuring the increase of at least a three fold change in the level of expression of the one or more biomarkers comprises utilizing a microarray or a polymerase chain reaction:

wherein the microarray is a DNA microarray comprising one or more oligonucleotides complimentary to mRNA or cDNA corresponding to the one or more biomarkers to be measured, or

wherein the polymerase chain reaction is a quantitative polymerase chain reaction with oligonucleotide primers for mRNA or cDNA corresponding to the one or more biomarkers to be measured.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein measuring the increase of at least a three fold change in the level of expression of the one or more biomarkers comprises:

isolating RNA from the sample,

reverse transcribing the RNA to obtain the corresponding cDNA,

isolating and fragmenting the cDNA thus obtained,

contacting the cDNA fragments with a DNA microarray comprising one or more oligonucleotides complementary to cDNA corresponding to the one or more biomarkers to be measured, and

detecting hybridization between the cDNA fragments and the one or more oligonucleotides in the DNA microarray.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the level of expression of the biomarker is detected by an antibody to the expressed protein.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the level of expression of the biomarker is detected by measuring the amount of protein in the sample using quantitative mass spectroscopy.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the sample is blood or thyroid tissue.

15. A method of treating a feline suffering from hyperthyroidism, the method comprising:

measuring an increase of at least a three fold change in the level of expression of one or more biomarkers in a sample from a feline to a control value for expression in a sample from a normal feline or population of felines, and/or relative to a previous individual baseline value from the feline; and

identifying the feline having an increase of at least three fold change in the level of expression as suffering from hyperthyroidism; and

treating the feline identified as suffering from hyperthyroidism by pharmaceutical intervention,

wherein treating the feline by pharmaceutical intervention comprises administering a drug selected from methimazole or carbimazole, and

wherein the one or more biomarkers exhibiting the increase in the level of expression comprises TPO.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein measuring the increase of at least a three fold change in the level of expression of the one or more biomarkers comprises utilizing a microarray or a polymerase chain reaction:

wherein the microarray is a DNA microarray comprising one or more oligonucleotides complimentary to mRNA or cDNA corresponding to the one or more biomarkers to be measured, or

wherein the polymerase chain reaction is a quantitative polymerase chain reaction with oligonucleotide primers for mRNA or cDNA corresponding to the one or more biomarkers to be measured.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein measuring the increase of at least a three fold change in the level of expression of the one or more biomarkers comprises:

isolating RNA from the sample,

reverse transcribing the RNA to obtain the corresponding cDNA,

isolating and fragmenting the cDNA thus obtained,

contacting the cDNA fragments with a DNA microarray comprising one or more oligonucleotides complementary to cDNA corresponding to the one or more biomarkers to be measured, and

detecting hybridization between the cDNA fragments and the one or more oligonucleotides in the DNA microarray.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the level of expression of the biomarker is detected by an antibody to the expressed protein.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the level of expression of the biomarker is detected by measuring the amount of protein in the sample using quantitative mass spectroscopy.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the sample is blood or thyroid tissue.