Nucleic acids encoding modulators of body weight

• US 8,173,793 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2009
• Issued: 05/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rockefeller University
• Original Assignee: Rockefeller University
• Inventors: Friedman, Jeffrey M., Zhang, Yiying, Proenca, Ricardo, Maffei, Margherita, Halaas, Jeffrey L., Gajiwala, Ketan, Burley, Stephen K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Saoud, Christine J
• Application Number:
  US12/436,773
• Publication Number:
  US 20110218332A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,098 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 536/23.5
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 2217/05 Animals comprising random inserted nucleic acids (transgenic)
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 38/00 Medicinal preparations containing peptides peptides containing beta-lactam rings A61K31/00; cyclic dipeptides not having in their molecule any other peptide link than those which form their ring, e.g. piperazine-2,5-diones, A61K31/00; ergot alkaloids of the cyclic peptide type A61K31/48; containing macromolecular compounds having statistically distributed amino acid units A61K31/74; medicinal preparations containing antigens or antibodies A61K39/00; medicinal preparations characterised by the non-active ingredients, e.g. peptides as drug carriers, A61K47/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 48/00 Medicinal preparations containing genetic material which is inserted into cells of the living body to treat genetic diseases; Gene therapy
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 8/64 Proteins; Peptides; Derivatives or degradation products thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61Q 19/06 for countering cellulitis
• CPC Class Codes: C07K 14/5759 Products of obesity genes, e.g. leptin, obese (OB), tub, fat
• CPC Class Codes: C07K 16/18 against material from animals or humans
• CPC Class Codes: C07K 2319/00 Fusion polypeptide
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 1/6883 for diseases caused by alterations of genetic material
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 2600/156 Polymorphic or mutational markers
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 2600/158 Expression markers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 930/12 Growth hormone, growth factor other than t-cell or b-cell growth factor, and growth hormone releasing factor; related peptides
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 930/14 Lymphokine; related peptides

Abstract

The present invention relates generally to the control of body weight of animals including mammals and humans, and more particularly to nucleic acids encoding materials identified herein as modulators of weight. In its broadest aspect, the present invention relates to the elucidation and discovery of nucleotide sequences, and proteins putatively expressed by such nucleotides, that demonstrate the ability to participate in the control of mammalian body weight. The nucleotide sequences in object represent the genes corresponding to the murine and human ob gene, that have been postulated to play a critical role in the regulation of body weight and adiposity. Preliminary data, presented herein, suggests that the polypeptide product of the gene in question functions as a hormone. The present invention further provides nucleic acid molecules for use as molecular probes, or as primers for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification, i.e., synthetic or natural oligonucleotides.

Claims

1. An isolated DNA molecule comprising a DNA sequence selected from the group consisting of:

A. SEQ ID NO;

1;

B. SEQ ID NO;

3;

C. SEQ ID NO;

22; and

D. a DNA sequence encoding SEQ ID NO;

2, SEQ ID NO;

4, SEQ ID NO;

23, or biologically active fragment thereof.