Diagnostics based on mass spectrometric detection of translated target polypeptides
First Claim
1. A process for determining the genetic nature of a phenotype in a subject, comprising the steps of:
- a) obtaining a target nucleic acid molecule from the subject;
b) preparing a target polypeptide from the nucleic acid molecule;
c) determining the molecular mass of the target polypeptide by mass spectrometry; and
d) comparing the target polypeptide with a reference polypeptide of known identity by comparing the molecular mass of the target polypeptide with the molecular mass of the reference polypeptide, thereby identifying an allelic variant of a polymorphic region of a chromosome in the subject.
7 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The invention provides a means of detecting and identifying mutations in a genetic region, and a means of quantifying the number of repeat units in, for example, a trinucleotide repeat, by transcription/translation of the genetic region into a target polypeptide. The method requires neither radioisotopic nor fluorescent labeling of the target polypeptide. In particular, the invention is based on mass spectrometric determination of the mass of the encoded target polypeptide and comparison of the mass of the polypeptide with its own expected mass or with the mass of a polypeptide of known identity. Depending on the target polypeptide to be identified, the processes can be used, for example, to diagnose a genetic disease or chromosomal abnormality; a predisposition to a disease or condition, infection by a pathogenic organism, or for determining identity or heredity.
161 Citations
24 Claims
-
1. A process for determining the genetic nature of a phenotype in a subject, comprising the steps of:
-
a) obtaining a target nucleic acid molecule from the subject;
b) preparing a target polypeptide from the nucleic acid molecule;
c) determining the molecular mass of the target polypeptide by mass spectrometry; and
d) comparing the target polypeptide with a reference polypeptide of known identity by comparing the molecular mass of the target polypeptide with the molecular mass of the reference polypeptide, thereby identifying an allelic variant of a polymorphic region of a chromosome in the subject. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
-
-
14. A process for obtaining sequence information or the identity of a plurality of nucleic acid molecules by determining the identities of polypeptides encoded by the nucleic acid molecules, comprising the steps of:
-
a) obtaining nucleic acid molecules;
b) preparing a plurality of polypeptides from the nucleic acid molecules, wherein the plurality of polypeptides include mass modified polypeptides;
c) determining molecular masses of the differentially mass modified polypeptides by mass spectrometry; and
d) determining the identities of the polypeptides by comparing the molecular masses of the target polypeptides with the molecular mass of one or more reference polypeptides of known identity, thereby obtaining sequence information or sequence information of the nucleic acid molecules encoding the target polypeptides. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17)
-
- 18. A process for identifying an individual having spinal cerebellar ataxia-1, comprising detecting an abnormal number of trinucleotide repeats in a nucleic acid molecule obtained from the individual, said trinucleotide repeats comprising CAG trinucleotides and at least one GAG trinucleotide.
-
21. A process for identifying the presence or absence of a mutation in a target nucleic acid sequence by determining the molecular mass of a polypeptide encoded by the nucleic acid sequence, comprising the steps of:
-
a) obtaining a nucleic acid molecule comprising a nucleic acid sequence suspected of containing a mutation;
b) preparing a polypeptide from a portion of the nucleic molecule comprising the nucleic acid sequence suspected of containing the mutation; and
c) determining the molecular mass of the polypeptide by mass spectrometry, whereby the molecular mass of the polypeptide identifies the presence or absence of a mutation in the nucleic acid sequence. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24)
the mutation results in a STOP codon that is identified by a molecular mass of the target polypeptide that is indicative of a truncated polypeptide.
-
-
24. A process of claim 21, wherein the identification of a mutation is diagnostic of a genetic disease or a predisposition to a genetic disease.
Specification