COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR DIAGNOSING AND TREATING ASTHMA OR OTHER ALLERGIC OR INFLAMMATORY DISEASES
First Claim
1. A method comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of an agent to a mammal which has an allergic or inflammatory disease, wherein said agent inhibits an activity or expression of a component of an arginine metabolic pathway in a tissue affected by the disease, and said component is downstream of an arginase in the pathway.
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Abstract
The present invention provides compositions and methods useful for detecting or treating asthma or other allergic or inflammatory diseases. In one aspect, the methods of the present invention include inhibiting the activity or expression of a component of an arginine metabolic pathway in tissues affected by asthma or other allergic or inflammatory diseases. In many embodiments, the component being inhibited is a cationic amino acid transporter, an arginase, or a component downstream of the arginase. In many other embodiments, the activity or expression of the component is inhibited by an agent that binds to the component. In still many other embodiments, the activity or expression of the component is inhibited by an agent that binds a polynucleotide encoding the component.
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Citations
24 Claims
- 1. A method comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of an agent to a mammal which has an allergic or inflammatory disease, wherein said agent inhibits an activity or expression of a component of an arginine metabolic pathway in a tissue affected by the disease, and said component is downstream of an arginase in the pathway.
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5-7. -7. (canceled)
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10. (canceled)
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12. (canceled)
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15-19. -19. (canceled)
- 20. A pharmaceutical composition comprising a pharmaceutically-acceptable carrier and an agent capable of inhibiting an activity or expression of a component of an arginine metabolic pathway, wherein said component is downstream of an arginase in the pathway.
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22. The method of claim 22, wherein the component of an arginine metabolic pathway is ornithine decarboxylase.
Specification