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WO2006110132A1 - Methodes et compositions pour les exotoxines mycoplasma pneumoniae - Google Patents

Methodes et compositions pour les exotoxines mycoplasma pneumoniae Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2006110132A1
WO2006110132A1 PCT/US2005/011897 US2005011897W WO2006110132A1 WO 2006110132 A1 WO2006110132 A1 WO 2006110132A1 US 2005011897 W US2005011897 W US 2005011897W WO 2006110132 A1 WO2006110132 A1 WO 2006110132A1
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WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
seq
toxin
cell
subject
cards
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Inventor
Joel Barry Baseman
Thirumalai Rengasamy Kannan
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University of Texas System
University of Texas at Austin
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University of Texas System
University of Texas at Austin
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Priority to PCT/US2005/011897 priority Critical patent/WO2006110132A1/fr
Priority to PCT/US2006/012266 priority patent/WO2006110367A2/fr
Priority to US11/887,995 priority patent/US20090104185A1/en
Publication of WO2006110132A1 publication Critical patent/WO2006110132A1/fr
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Ceased legal-status Critical Current

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    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61K—PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES
    • A61K39/00—Medicinal preparations containing antigens or antibodies
    • A61K39/0005—Vertebrate antigens
    • A61K39/0011—Cancer antigens
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61K—PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES
    • A61K47/00—Medicinal preparations characterised by the non-active ingredients used, e.g. carriers or inert additives; Targeting or modifying agents chemically bound to the active ingredient
    • A61K47/50—Medicinal preparations characterised by the non-active ingredients used, e.g. carriers or inert additives; Targeting or modifying agents chemically bound to the active ingredient the non-active ingredient being chemically bound to the active ingredient, e.g. polymer-drug conjugates
    • A61K47/51—Medicinal preparations characterised by the non-active ingredients used, e.g. carriers or inert additives; Targeting or modifying agents chemically bound to the active ingredient the non-active ingredient being chemically bound to the active ingredient, e.g. polymer-drug conjugates the non-active ingredient being a modifying agent
    • A61K47/68—Medicinal preparations characterised by the non-active ingredients used, e.g. carriers or inert additives; Targeting or modifying agents chemically bound to the active ingredient the non-active ingredient being chemically bound to the active ingredient, e.g. polymer-drug conjugates the non-active ingredient being a modifying agent the modifying agent being an antibody, an immunoglobulin or a fragment thereof, e.g. an Fc-fragment
    • A61K47/6801—Drug-antibody or immunoglobulin conjugates defined by the pharmacologically or therapeutically active agent
    • A61K47/6803—Drugs conjugated to an antibody or immunoglobulin, e.g. cisplatin-antibody conjugates
    • A61K47/6811—Drugs conjugated to an antibody or immunoglobulin, e.g. cisplatin-antibody conjugates the drug being a protein or peptide, e.g. transferrin or bleomycin
    • A61K47/6817—Toxins
    • A61K47/6829—Bacterial toxins, e.g. diphteria toxins or Pseudomonas exotoxin A
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61K—PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES
    • A61K47/00—Medicinal preparations characterised by the non-active ingredients used, e.g. carriers or inert additives; Targeting or modifying agents chemically bound to the active ingredient
    • A61K47/50—Medicinal preparations characterised by the non-active ingredients used, e.g. carriers or inert additives; Targeting or modifying agents chemically bound to the active ingredient the non-active ingredient being chemically bound to the active ingredient, e.g. polymer-drug conjugates
    • A61K47/51—Medicinal preparations characterised by the non-active ingredients used, e.g. carriers or inert additives; Targeting or modifying agents chemically bound to the active ingredient the non-active ingredient being chemically bound to the active ingredient, e.g. polymer-drug conjugates the non-active ingredient being a modifying agent
    • A61K47/68—Medicinal preparations characterised by the non-active ingredients used, e.g. carriers or inert additives; Targeting or modifying agents chemically bound to the active ingredient the non-active ingredient being chemically bound to the active ingredient, e.g. polymer-drug conjugates the non-active ingredient being a modifying agent the modifying agent being an antibody, an immunoglobulin or a fragment thereof, e.g. an Fc-fragment
    • A61K47/6835—Medicinal preparations characterised by the non-active ingredients used, e.g. carriers or inert additives; Targeting or modifying agents chemically bound to the active ingredient the non-active ingredient being chemically bound to the active ingredient, e.g. polymer-drug conjugates the non-active ingredient being a modifying agent the modifying agent being an antibody, an immunoglobulin or a fragment thereof, e.g. an Fc-fragment the modifying agent being an antibody or an immunoglobulin bearing at least one antigen-binding site
    • A61K47/6851—Medicinal preparations characterised by the non-active ingredients used, e.g. carriers or inert additives; Targeting or modifying agents chemically bound to the active ingredient the non-active ingredient being chemically bound to the active ingredient, e.g. polymer-drug conjugates the non-active ingredient being a modifying agent the modifying agent being an antibody, an immunoglobulin or a fragment thereof, e.g. an Fc-fragment the modifying agent being an antibody or an immunoglobulin bearing at least one antigen-binding site the antibody targeting a determinant of a tumour cell
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C07—ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
    • C07K—PEPTIDES
    • C07K14/00—Peptides having more than 20 amino acids; Gastrins; Somatostatins; Melanotropins; Derivatives thereof
    • C07K14/195—Peptides having more than 20 amino acids; Gastrins; Somatostatins; Melanotropins; Derivatives thereof from bacteria
    • C07K14/30—Peptides having more than 20 amino acids; Gastrins; Somatostatins; Melanotropins; Derivatives thereof from bacteria from Mycoplasmatales, e.g. Pleuropneumonia-like organisms [PPLO]
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61K—PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES
    • A61K39/00—Medicinal preparations containing antigens or antibodies
    • A61K2039/60—Medicinal preparations containing antigens or antibodies characteristics by the carrier linked to the antigen
    • A61K2039/6031—Proteins
    • A61K2039/6037—Bacterial toxins, e.g. diphteria toxoid [DT], tetanus toxoid [TT]

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to Mycoplasma pneumoniae toxins, antibodies thereto, and their use in diagnostic and therapeutic methods.
  • Mycoplasma pneumoniae is one of the most well recognized pathogens of the human respiratory tract. The importance of Mycoplasma pneumoniae as a cause of human respiratory disease has been well documented by epidemiological studies in various settings and in many countries. M. pneumoniae is the etiologic agent of primary atypical pneumonia and is also responsible for many respiratory tract infections, such as tracheobronchitis, bronchiolitis, pharyngitis and croup, especially in older children and young adults and in elderly populations. It accounts for 20-30% of all pneumonias and also is linked to asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Furthermore, M.
  • pneumoniae can disseminate to other organ sites and cause gastrointestinal, hematologic, neurologic, dermatologic, musculoskeletal and cardiovascular pathologies. This secondary involvement by M. pneumoniae leads to a spectrum of complicated extrapulmonary sequelae, including arthritis, pericarditis and central nervous system disorders, which attests to the significance of M. pneumoniae in human disease. Although antibiotic therapy appears to be relatively effective in controlling mycoplasma pneumonia, the bacteria continue to persist. At present, no known virulence determinants of M. pneumoniae have been functionally identified and linked to the wide range of pathologies associated with M. pneumoniae mediated diseases. Furthermore, there are no specific and standardized diagnostic tests available for reliable and rapid detection of M. pneumoniae infection, or effective vaccines to control M pneumoniae infection.
  • the present invention overcomes previous shortcomings in the art by providing a Mycoplasma pneumoniae polypeptide and biologically active fragments thereof, known as community acquired respiratory distress syndrome (CARDS) toxin, as well as nucleic acids encoding this polypeptide and its fragments and antibodies specific thereto.
  • CARDS community acquired respiratory distress syndrome
  • These compositions are used, for example, in methods of diagnosing, treating and preventing infection by M. pneumoniae.
  • RJLl (clinical strain) amino acid sequence: (SEQ ID N0:4)
  • Reference nucleotide sequence M129/B9 (contains tga's that need to be changed to tgg before expression in E. coli) (SEQ ID NO:7) ttttttaattt gtaaaatttc attttttaaa aatgccaaat cctgttagat ttgttttaccg tgttgatttg agaagccctg aagaaattttttgaacatggc ttttcaactt taggtgatgt gagaaatttc tttgaacaca ttctctccac taattttggt agaagctatt tttccac ttcagaaaca cccacagcagcag ctattcgctttggtagc tggtttacggg aatatgtacc agagcacccc aga
  • RJLl nucleotide sequence with each tga changed to tgg for expression in E. coli (SEQ ID NO: 11) atgccaaatc ctgttagatt tgtttaccgt gttgatttga gaagccctga agaaattttt 60 gaacatggct tttcaacttt aggtgatgtg agaaatttct ttgaacacat tctctccact 120 aattttggta gaagctatttt tattccact tcagaaacac ccacagcagc tattcgcttc 180 tttggtagct ggttacggga atatgtacca gagcacccca gaagggctta cttatatgaa 240 attcgtgccg accaacactt tacaatgccc
  • Figure 2 shows ADP-ribosylation of G proteins in HEp-2 cells following incubation with CARDS protein.
  • Lane 1 HEp-2 cells in medium alone followed by preparation of cell free extract and addition of CARDS protein.
  • Lane 2 HEp-2 cells pretreated with CARDS protein, followed by preparation of cell free extract and addition of CARDS protein.
  • the marked reduction in ADP-ribosylation of specific proteins in the CARDS protein-pretreated cells is indicated by arrows.
  • ADP- ribosylation of other Hep-2 cell proteins is diminished (lane 2).
  • Figure 3 shows an ELISA and an immunoblot employing rDl as antigen that demonstrates production of anti-CARDS antibodies in sequential serum samples of two patients infected with Mycoplasma pneumoniae.
  • Figures 4A-B Vacuolating effect of CARDS toxin on monolayers of CHO cells and HeLa cells.
  • the present invention provides Mycoplasma pneumoniae toxin (CARDS toxin) from subjects infected with Mycoplasma pneumoniae.
  • the present invention provides a polypeptide comprising, consisting essentially of, and/or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2 (Sl isolate), a polypeptide comprising, consisting essentially of, and/or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 3 (JL isolate), a polypeptide comprising, consisting essentially of, and/or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:4 (RJLl isolate), a polypeptide comprising, consisting essentially of, and/or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:5(L2 isolate), a polypeptide comprising, consisting essentially of, and/or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 (reference sequence), and/or a polypeptide comprising, consisting essentially of, and/or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO
  • nucleotide sequences that encode the polypeptides and fragments of this invention.
  • the present invention provides an isolated nucleic acid comprising, consisting essentially of, and/or consisting of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:8 (Sl isolate), an isolated nucleic acid comprising, consisting essentially of, and/or consisting of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 10 (JL isolate), an isolated nucleic acid comprising, consisting essentially of, and/or consisting of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 11 (RJL 1 isolate), an isolated nucleic acid comprising, consisting essentially of, and/or consisting of the nucleotides sequence of SEQ ID NO:9 (L2 isolate), an isolated nucleic acid comprising, consisting essentially of, and/or consisting of the nucleotides sequence of SEQ ID NO:7 (reference sequence), and/or an isolated nucleic acid comprising, consisting essentially of, and/or consisting of the
  • nucleic acid comprising, consisting essentially of, and/or consisting of a nucleotide sequence that encodes an amino acid sequence comprising, consisting essentially of, and/or consisting of the amino acid sequence or a biologically active fragment of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2 (Sl isolate), a nucleic acid comprising, consisting essentially of, and/or consisting of a nucleotide sequence that encodes an amino acid sequence comprising, consisting essentially of, and/or consisting of the amino acid sequence or a biologically active fragment of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:3 (JL isolate), a nucleic acid comprising, consisting essentially of, and/or consisting of a nucleotide sequence that encodes an amino acid sequence comprising, consisting essentially of, and/or consisting of the amino acid sequence or a biologically active fragment of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:4 (RJLl isolate), a nucleic acid comprising, consisting essentially
  • probes and primers for the detection and/or amplification of the nucleic acids of this invention including TTTTTACATATGCCAAATCCTGTT (SEQ ID NO: 12; Primer 1), CGTTAAAGGATCCTCGCTAAAAGCGATC (SEQ ID NO: 13; Primer 2), CTAGCCAAGCACTACGGACATTAGC (SEQ ID NO: 14; (Primer 3), CGTAGTGCTTGGCTAGTAGATGCTGTT (SEQ ID NO: 15; (Primer 4), CCTGGTGTTGGCAACCATGGTTG (SEQ ID NO: 16; (Primer 5), GATCAACCATGGTTGCCAACACC (SEQ ID NO: 17; (Primer 6), AAGGTGGACTCCAATCAGGGCACG (SEQ ID NO: 18; (Primer 7), CGTGCCCTGATTGGAGTCCACCTT (SEQ ID NO: 19; (Primer 8), GCGGTGTCATTTTCCACTTTTGG (SEQ ID NO:20; (Primer 1), CGTT
  • methods of diagnosing infection by M. pneunomoniae in a subject comprising contacting a biological sample from the subject with a polypeptide or antibody of this invention under conditions whereby an antigen/antibody complex can form; and detecting formation of an antigen/antibody complex, thereby diagnosing infection by M. pneumoniae in the subject.
  • Methods are also provided herein for diagnosing infection by M. pneumoniae in a subject comprising contacting a biological sample from the subject with a nucleic acid of this invention under conditions whereby hybridization of nucleic acid molecules can occur; and detecting hybridization, thereby diagnosing infection by M. pneumoniae in the subject.
  • the present invention provides a method of detecting the presence of the CARDS toxin of this invention in a sample (e.g., a biological sample from a subject or a food or water sample or other sample that could contain CARDS toxin) and/or a subject and/or diagnosing infection by M. pneumoniae in a subject, comprising contacting the sample with surfactant protein A (SP-A) under conditions whereby a toxin/SP-A complex can form; and detecting formation of the toxin/SP-A complex, thereby detecting the presence of CARDS toxin in a sample and/or diagnosing infection by M. pneumoniae in a subject.
  • a sample e.g., a biological sample from a subject or a food or water sample or other sample that could contain CARDS toxin
  • SP-A surfactant protein A
  • the present invention provides methods of eliciting an immune response in a subject, comprising administering to the subject an effective amount of a polypeptide and/or biologically active fragment of a polypeptide of this invention and/or by administering to a subject an effective amount of a nucleic acid comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide and/or biologically active fragment of a polypeptide of this invention.
  • the present invention additionally provides methods of providing passive immunity to a subject, comprising administering to the subject an effective amount of an antibody of this invention.
  • the present invention provides methods of treating and/or preventing infection by M. pneumoniae in a subject, comprising administering to the subject an effective amount of a polypeptide of this invention and/or an effective amount of a biologically active fragment of a polypeptide of this invention and/or an effective amount of a nucleic acid comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide of this invention and/or an effective amount of a nucleic acid comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding a biologically active fragment of a polypeptide of this invention. Also provided are methods of treating and/or preventing infection by M. pneumoniae in a subject, comprising administering to the subject an effective amount of an antibody of this invention.
  • the present invention provides methods of identifying substances having the ability to inhibit or enhance various activities of the polypeptides and/or biologically active fragments of this invention, including but not limited to, binding activity, translocating activity, immunogenic activity, ADP- ribosylating activity, cytopathology inducing activity and/or toxin activity. These methods are carried out by contacting the polypeptides and/or biologically active fragments of this invention and/or the nucleic acids of this invention, with the substance to be tested for inhibitory or enhancing activity, under conditions whereby the inhibition or enhancement of activity can be detected, as described herein.
  • a can mean one or more than one.
  • a cell can mean a single cell or a multiplicity of cells.
  • the present invention is based on the discovery of polypeptides of Mycoplasma pneumoniae having the respective amino acid sequence described herein and encoded by the nucleic acids described herein and the identification of activities of these polypeptides and various fragments or "domains" of these polypeptides. Characterization of these polypeptides and fragments indicates that the newly identified protein is a toxin of Mycoplasma pneumoniae and it is referred to herein as community acquired respiratory distress syndrome (CARDS) toxin.
  • CARDS toxin is a cell- associated toxin.
  • the present invention provides an isolated polypeptide comprising, consisting essentially of, and/or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2 (Sl isolate), an isolated polypeptide comprising, consisting essentially of, and/or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:3 (JL isolate), an isolated polypeptide comprising, consisting essentially of, and/or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:4 (RJLl isolate), an isolated polypeptide comprising, consisting essentially of, and/or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:5 (L2 isolate), an isolated polypeptide comprising, consisting essentially of, and/or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:1 (reference sequence), and/or an isolated polypeptide comprising, consisting essentially of, and/or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:6 (composite sequence), either individually or in any combination.
  • Sl isolate an isolated polypeptide comprising, consisting essentially of, and/
  • the present invention further provides biologically active fragments of the polypeptides of this invention, as well as antibodies that specifically bind the polypeptides and/or fragments of the polypeptides of this invention.
  • nucleotide sequences that encode the polypeptides and fragments of this invention.
  • the present invention provides an isolated nucleic acid comprising, consisting essentially of, and/or consisting of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8 (Sl isolate), an isolated nucleic acid comprising, consisting essentially of, and/or consisting of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 10 (JL isolate), an isolated nucleic acid comprising, consisting essentially of, and/or consisting of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 11 (RJLl isolate), an isolated nucleic acid comprising, consisting essentially of, and/or consisting of the nucleotides sequence of SEQ ID NO:9 (L2 isolate), an isolated nucleic acid comprising, consisting essentially of, and/or consisting of the nucleotides sequence of SEQ ID NO:7 (reference sequence), and/or an isolated nucleic acid comprising, consisting essentially of, and/or consisting of the
  • nucleic acid comprising, consisting essentially of, and/or consisting of a nucleotide sequence that encodes an amino acid sequence comprising, consisting essentially of, and/or consisting of the amino acid sequence or a biologically active fragment of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2 (Sl isolate), a nucleic acid comprising, consisting essentially of, and/or consisting of a nucleotide sequence that encodes an amino acid sequence comprising, consisting essentially of, and/or consisting of the amino acid sequence or a biologically active fragment of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:3 (JL isolate), a nucleic acid comprising, consisting essentially of, and/or consisting of a nucleotide sequence that encodes an amino acid sequence comprising, consisting essentially of, and/or consisting of the amino acid sequence or a biologically active fragment of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:4 (RJLl isolate), a nucleic acid comprising, consisting essentially
  • probes and primers for the detection of the nucleic acids of this invention including TTTTTAC ATATGCC AAATCCTGTT (SEQ ID NO: 12; Primer 1), CGTTAAAGGATCCTCGCTAAAAGCGATC (SEQ ID NO: 13; Primer 2), CTAGCCAAGCACTACGGACATTAGC (SEQ ID NO: 14; (Primer 3), CGTAGTGCTTGGCTAGTAGATGCTGTT (SEQ ID NO: 15; (Primer 4), CCTGGTGTTGGCAACCATGGTTG (SEQ ID NO: 16; (Primer 5), GATCAACCATGGTTGCCAACACC (SEQ ID NO: 17; (Primer 6), AAGGTGGACTCCAATCAGGGCACG (SEQ ID NO: 18; (Primer 7), CGTGCCCTGATTGGAGTCCACCTT (SEQ ID NO: 19; (Primer 8), GCGGTGTCATTTTCCACTTTTGG (SEQ ID NO:20; (Primer 9), CCAA
  • isolated as used herein means the nucleic acid or polypeptide of this invention is sufficiently free of contaminants or cell components with which nucleic acids or polypeptides normally occur. “Isolated” does not mean that the preparation is technically pure (homogeneous), but it is sufficiently pure to provide the nucleic acid or polypeptide in a form in which it can be used therapeutically.
  • Epitope or “antigenic epitope” or “antigenic peptide” as used herein means a specific amino acid sequence of limited length which, when present in the proper conformation, provides a reactive site for an antibody or T cell receptor.
  • the identification of epitopes on antigens can be carried out by immunology protocols that are well known in the art.
  • polypeptide or "protein” is used to describe a chain of amino acids that correspond to those encoded by a nucleic acid.
  • a polypeptide of this invention can be a peptide, which usually describes a chain of amino acids of from two to about 30 amino acids.
  • polypeptide as used herein also describes a chain of amino acids having more than 30 amino acids and can be a fragment or domain of a protein or a full length protein.
  • polypeptide can refer to a linear chain of amino acids or it can refer to a chain of amino acids that has been processed and folded into a functional protein.
  • polypeptides of the present invention are obtained by isolation and purification of the polypeptides from cells where they are produced naturally, by enzymatic (e.g., proteolytic) cleavage, and/or recombinantly by expression of nucleic acid encoding the polypeptides or fragments of this invention.
  • the polypeptides and/or fragments of this invention can also be obtained by chemical synthesis or other known protocols for producing polypeptides and fragments.
  • nucleic acids of this invention can be either single or double stranded (i.e., including the complementary nucleic acid).
  • a nucleic acid of this invention can be the complement of a nucleic acid described herein.
  • a "biologically active fragment" includes a polypeptide of this invention that comprises a sufficient number of amino acids to have one or more of the biological activities of the polypeptides of this invention.
  • Such biological activities can include, but are not limited to, in any combination, binding activity, translocating activity, immunogenic activity, ADP-ribosylating activity, and/or cytopathology inducing activity, as well as any other activity now known or later identified for the polypeptides and/or fragments of this invention.
  • a fragment of a polypeptide of this invention can be produced by methods well known and routine in the art. Fragments of this invention can be produced, for example, by enzymatic or other cleavage of naturally occurring peptides or polypeptides or by synthetic protocols that are well known.
  • Such fragments can be tested for one or more of the biological activities of this invention according to the methods described herein, which are routine methods for testing activities of polypeptides, and/or according to any art-known and routine methods for identifying such activities.
  • Such production and testing to identify biologically active fragments of the polypeptides described herein would be well within the scope of one of ordinary skill in the art and would be routine.
  • Fragments of the polypeptides of this invention are preferably at least about ten amino acids in length and retain one or more of the biological activities and/or the immunological activities of the CARDS toxin.
  • Examples of the fragments of this invention include, but are not intended to be limited to, the following fragments identified by the amino acid number as shown in the Sequence Listing for each of the isolates of SEQ ID NO:2 (SI isolate), SEQ ID NO:3 (JL isolate), SEQ ID NO:4 (RJLl isolate), SEQ ID NO:5 ( L2 isolate), SEQ ID NO:6 (composite sequence) and SEQ ID NO:1 (reference sequence): Amino acids 1-10, 10-20, 20-30, 30-40, 40-50, 50-60, 60- 70, 70-80, 80-90, 90-100, 110-120, 120-130, 130-140, 140-150, 150-160, 160-170, 170-180, 180-190, 190-200, 200-210, 210-220, 220-230,
  • fragment of this invention can be any amino acid sequence containing any combination of contiguous amino acids that are numbered in the Sequence Listing as amino acids 1 through 591 even if that combination is not specifically recited as an example herein. It is also understood that these fragments can be combined in any order or amount. For example, fragment 1-10 can be combined with fragment 10-20 to produce a fragment of amino acids 1-20. Also fragments can be present in multiple numbers and in any combination in a fragment of this invention. Thus, for example, fragment 1-150 can be combined with a second fragment 1-150 and/or combined with fragment 400-500 to produce a fragment of this invention.
  • Other exemplary fragments of this invention include the domains of the CARDS toxin described herein [e.g., domain 1 (N terminal 249 amino acids), domain 2 (256 amino acids) and domain 3 (247 amino acids at carboxy terminus)].
  • the term "homology" as used herein refers to a degree of similarity between two or more sequences. There may be partial homology or complete homology (i.e., identity).
  • a partially complementary sequence that at least partially inhibits an identical sequence from hybridizing to a target nucleic acid is referred to as "substantially homologous.”
  • the inhibition of hybridization of the completely complementary sequence to the target sequence can be examined using a hybridization assay (Southern or Northern blot, solution hybridization and the like) under conditions of low stringency.
  • a substantially homologous sequence or hybridization probe will compete for and inhibit the binding of a completely homologous sequence to the target sequence under conditions of low stringency, as this term is known in the art.
  • low stringency conditions are such that non-specific binding is permitted; low stringency conditions require that the binding of two sequences to one another be a specific (i.e., selective) interaction.
  • the absence of non-specific binding can be tested by the use of a second target sequence that lacks even a partial degree of complementarity (e.g., less than about 30% identity). In the absence of non-specific binding, the probe will not hybridize to the second non-complementary target sequence.
  • hybridization refers to any process by which a first strand of nucleic acid binds with a second strand of nucleic acid through base pairing.
  • Nucleic acids encoding the polypeptides and/or fragments of this invention can be detected by DNA-DNA or DNA-RNA hybridization or amplification using probes, primers and/or fragments of polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides and/or fragments of this invention and/or designed to detect and/or amplify the nucleic acids of this invention.
  • hybridization complex refers to a complex formed between two nucleic acid sequences by virtue of the formation of hydrogen bonds between complementary G and C bases and between complementary A and T bases; these hydrogen bonds may be further stabilized by base stacking interactions.
  • the two complementary nucleic acid sequences hydrogen bond in an antiparallel configuration.
  • a hybridization complex may be formed in solution (e.g., C o t or Rot analysis) or between one nucleic acid sequence present in solution and another nucleic acid sequence immobilized on a solid support (e.g., paper, membranes, filters, chips, pins or glass slides, or any other appropriate substrate to which cells and/or nucleic acids have been fixed).
  • nucleotide sequence refers to a heteropolymer of nucleotides or the sequence of these nucleotides.
  • nucleic acid refers to a heteropolymer of nucleotides.
  • oligonucleotide refers to a heteropolymer of nucleotides.
  • polynucleotide refers to a heteropolymer of nucleotides.
  • nucleic acid segments provided by this invention may be assembled from fragments of the genome and short oligonucleotide linkers, or from a series of oligonucleotides, or from individual nucleotides, to provide a synthetic nucleic acid which is capable of being expressed in a recombinant transcriptional unit comprising regulatory elements derived from a microbial or viral operon, or a eukaryotic gene.
  • Nucleic acids of this invention can comprise a nucleotide sequence that can be identical in sequence to the sequence which is naturally occurring or, due to the well-characterized degeneracy of the nucleic acid code, can include alternative codons which encode the same amino acid as that which is found in the naturally occurring sequence.
  • nucleic acids of this invention can comprise nucleotide sequences that can include codons which represent conservative substitutions of amino acids as are well known in the art, such that the biological activity of the resulting polypeptide and/or fragment is retained.
  • probe or “primer” includes naturally occurring or recombinant or chemically synthesized single- and/or double-stranded nucleic acids. They can be labeled for detection by nick translation, Klenow fill-in reaction, PCR or other methods well known in the art. Probes and primers of the present invention, their preparation and/or labeling are described in Sambrook et al. 1989. Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, NY and Ausubel et al. 1989. Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, John Wiley & Sons, New York N. Y., both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for these teachings.
  • stringent refers to hybridization conditions that are commonly understood in the art to define the conditions of the hybridization procedure. Stringency conditions can be low, high or medium, as those terms are commonly know in the art and well recognized by one of ordinary skill.
  • stringent conditions can include, for example, highly stringent (i.e., high stringency) conditions (e.g., hybridization to filter-bound DNA in 0.5 M NaHPO 4 , 7% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), 1 mM EDTA at 65 0 C, and washing in O.lxSSC/0.1% SDS at 68 0 C), and/or moderately stringent (i.e., medium stringency) conditions (e.g., washing in 0.2xSSC/0.1% SDS at 42 0 C).
  • highly stringent i.e., high stringency
  • SDS sodium dodecyl sulfate
  • moderately stringent i.e., medium stringency
  • Amplification includes the production of multiple copies of a nucleic acid molecule and is generally carried out using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and/or other amplification technologies as are well known in the art (Dieffenbach and Dveksler. 1995. PCR Primer, a Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor Press, Plainview, N.Y.).
  • PCR polymerase chain reaction
  • antibody includes intact immunoglobin molecules as well as fragments thereof, such as Fab, F(ab')2, and Fc, which are capable of binding the epitopic determinant of an antigen (i.e., antigenic determinant).
  • Antibodies that bind the polypeptides of this invention are prepared using intact polypeptides or fragments containing small peptides of interest as the immunizing antigen.
  • the polypeptide or fragment used to immunize an animal can be derived from enzymatic cleavage, recombinant expression, isolation from biological materials, synthesis, etc., and can be conjugated to a carrier protein, if desired.
  • Commonly used carriers that are chemically coupled to peptides and proteins for the production of antibody include, but are not limited to, bovine serum albumin, thyroglobulin and keyhole limpet hemocyanin.
  • the coupled peptide or protein is then used to immunize the animal (e.g., a mouse, rat, or rabbit).
  • the polypeptide or peptide antigens can also be administered with an adjuvant, as described herein and as otherwise known in the art.
  • the term "antibody” or “antibodies” as used herein refers to all types of immunoglobulins, including IgG, IgM, IgA, IgD, and IgE.
  • the antibody can be monoclonal or polyclonal and can be of any species of origin, including, for example, mouse, rat, rabbit, horse, goat, sheep or human, or can be a chimeric or humanized antibody. See, e.g., Walker et al., Molec. Immunol. 26:403-11 (1989).
  • the antibodies can be recombinant monoclonal antibodies produced according to the methods disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,474,893 or U.S. Patent No. 4,816,567.
  • the antibodies can also be chemically constructed according to the method disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,676,980.
  • the antibody can further be a single chain antibody or bispecific antibody.
  • Antibody fragments included within the scope of the present invention include, for example, Fab, F(ab')2, and Fc fragments, and the corresponding fragments obtained from antibodies other than IgG.
  • Such fragments can be produced by known techniques.
  • F(ab')2 fragments can be produced by pepsin digestion of the antibody molecule, and Fab fragments can be generated by reducing the disulfide bridges of the F(ab')2 fragments.
  • Fab expression libraries can be constructed to allow rapid and easy identification of monoclonal Fab fragments with the desired specificity (Huse et al., (1989) Science 254:1275-1281).
  • Monoclonal antibodies can be produced in a hybridoma cell line according to the technique of Kohler and Milstein, (1975) Nature 265:495-97.
  • a solution containing the appropriate antigen can be injected into a mouse and, after a sufficient time, the mouse sacrificed and spleen cells obtained.
  • the spleen cells are then immortalized by fusing them with myeloma cells or with lymphoma cells, typically in the presence of polyethylene glycol, to produce hybridoma cells.
  • the hybridoma cells are then grown in a suitable medium and the supernatant screened for monoclonal antibodies having the desired specificity.
  • Monoclonal Fab fragments can be produced in bacterial cell such as E. coli by recombinant techniques known to those skilled in the art. See, e.g., W. Huse, (1989) Science 246:1275-81.
  • Antibodies can also be obtained by phage display techniques known in the art or by immunizing a heterologous host with a cell containing an epitope of interest.
  • the term "sample” as used herein is used in its broadest sense.
  • a biological sample suspected of containing a polypeptide, fragment, antibody and/or nucleic acid of this invention can be any biological fluid, an extract from a cell, an extracellular matrix isolated from a cell, a cell (in solution or bound to a solid support), a tissue, a tissue print, and the like.
  • Effective amount refers to an amount of a compound or composition of this invention that is sufficient to produce a desired effect, which can be a therapeutic effect.
  • the effective amount will vary with the age, general condition of the subject, the severity of the condition being treated, the particular agent administered, the duration of the treatment, the nature of any concurrent treatment, the pharmaceutically acceptable carrier used, and like factors within the knowledge and expertise of those skilled in the art.
  • an "effective amount” in any individual case can be determined by one of ordinary skill in the art by reference to the pertinent texts and literature and/or by using routine experimentation. (See, for example, Remington, The Science And Practice of Pharmacy (20th ed. 2000)).
  • a “pharmaceutically acceptable” component such as a salt, carrier, excipient or diluent of a composition according to the present invention is a component that (i) is compatible with the other ingredients of the composition in that it can be combined with the compositions of the present invention without rendering the composition unsuitable for its intended purpose, and (ii) is suitable for use with subjects as provided herein without undue adverse side effects (such as toxicity, irritation, and allergic response). Side effects are "undue” when their risk outweighs the benefit provided by the composition.
  • Non-limiting examples of pharmaceutically acceptable components include, without limitation, any of the standard pharmaceutical carriers such as phosphate buffered saline solutions, water, emulsions such as oil/water emulsion, microemulsions and various types of wetting agents.
  • standard pharmaceutical carriers such as phosphate buffered saline solutions, water, emulsions such as oil/water emulsion, microemulsions and various types of wetting agents.
  • Treating refers to any type of action that imparts a modulating effect, which, for example, can be a beneficial effect, to a subject afflicted with a disorder, disease or illness, including improvement in the condition of the subject ⁇ e.g., in one or more symptoms), delay in the progression of the condition, prevention or delay of the onset of the disorder, and/or change in clinical parameters, disease or illness, etc., as would be well known in the art.
  • a subject of this invention includes any animal susceptible to infection by Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Such a subject can be a mammal and in particular embodiments, is a human. As used herein, a "subject" or “subject in need thereof is a subject known to be, or suspected of being, infected with Mycoplasma pneumoniae. A subject of this invention can also include a subject not previously known or suspected to be infected by Mycoplasma pneumoniae or in need of treatment for Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection. For example, a subject of this invention can be administered the compositions of this invention even if it is not known or suspected that the subject is infected with Mycoplasma pneumoniae (e.g., prophylactically). A subject of this invention is also a subject known or believed to be at risk of infection by Mycoplasma pneumoniae.
  • the fragments and/or polypeptides of this invention can be fused with a "carrier" protein or peptide to produce a fusion protein.
  • the carrier protein or peptide can be fused to a polypeptide and/or fragment of this invention to increase the stability thereof (e.g., decrease the turnover rate) in the cell and/or subject.
  • exemplary carrier proteins include, but are not limited to, glutathione-S-transferase or maltose-binding protein.
  • the carrier protein or peptide can alternatively be a reporter protein.
  • the fusion protein can comprise a polypeptide and/or fragment of this invention and a reporter protein or peptide ⁇ e.g., Green Fluorescent Protein, ⁇ -glucoronidase, ⁇ -galactosidase, luciferase, and the like) for easy detection of transformed cells and transgene expression.
  • the fusion protein attached to the polypeptides and/or fragments and a carrier protein or peptide can be targeted to a subcellular compartment of interest, i.e., to affect the co-localization of the polypeptide and/or fragment.
  • Any suitable carrier protein as is well known in the art can be used to produce a fusion protein of this invention.
  • the polypeptides and/or fragments of the present invention can 1) be used in assays to determine the biological activity of other proteins or peptides; 2) be included in a panel of multiple proteins for high-throughput screening; 3) be used to raise antibodies or to elicit an immune response; 4) be used as a reagent (including the labeled reagent) in assays designed to quantitatively determine levels of the protein (or its binding partner or receptor) in biological fluids; and 5) be used as markers for tissues in which the corresponding protein is preferentially expressed (either constitutively or at a particular stage of tissue differentiation or development or in a disease state). Any or all of these research utilities are capable of being developed into reagent grade or kit format for commercialization as research products.
  • EIA enzyme immunoassays
  • agglutination assays immunoblots (Western blot; dot/slot blot, etc.)
  • radioimmunoassays RIA
  • immunodiffusion assays chemiluminescence assays
  • antibody library screens expression arrays
  • enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays ELISA
  • radioimmunoassays RIA
  • immunoprecipitation Western blotting, competitive binding assays, immunofluorescence, immunohistochemical staining precipitation/flocculation assays and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS).
  • nucleic acid sequences are well known in the art.
  • labeling and conjugation techniques are known in the art that are used in various nucleic acid detection and amplification assays.
  • Methods for producing labeled hybridization probes and/or PCR or other ligation primers for detecting and/or amplifying nucleic acid sequences can include, for example, oligolabeling, nick translation and end-labeling, as well as other well known methods.
  • nucleic acid sequences encoding the polypeptides of this invention, and/or any functional fragment thereof can be cloned into a plasmid or vector for detection and amplification.
  • reporter molecules or labels include, for example, radionuclides, enzymes, fluorescence agents, chemiluminescence agents and chromogenic agents, as well as substrates, cofactors, inhibitors, magnetic particles and the like as are well known in the art.
  • the present invention further includes isolated polypeptides, peptides, proteins, fragments, domains and/or nucleic acid molecules that are substantially equivalent to those described for this invention.
  • substantially equivalent can refer both to nucleic acid and amino acid sequences, for example a mutant sequence, that varies from a reference sequence by one or more substitutions, deletions, or additions, the net effect of which does not result in an undesirable adverse functional dissimilarity between reference and subject sequences.
  • this invention can include substantially equivalent sequences that have an adverse functional dissimilarity.
  • sequences having equivalent biological activity and equivalent expression characteristics are considered substantially equivalent.
  • the invention further provides homologs, as well as methods of obtaining homologs, of the polypeptides and/or fragments of this invention from other strains of Mycoplasma and/or other organisms.
  • an amino acid sequence or protein is defined as a homolog of a polypeptide or fragment of the present invention if it shares significant homology to one of the polypeptides and/or fragments of the present invention.
  • Significant homology means at least 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 98% and/or 100% homology with another amino acid sequence.
  • nucleic acids disclosed herein as a probe or as primers, and techniques such as PCR amplification and colony/plaque hybridization, one skilled in the art can identify homologs of the polypeptides and/or fragments of this invention in Mycoplasma and/or other organisms.
  • the present invention also provides an antibody that specifically binds the polypeptides and/or biologically active fragments of this invention, as well as a method of making an antibody specific for a polypeptide and/or fragment of this invention comprising: a) immunizing an animal with a polypeptide and/or fragment of this invention under conditions whereby the animal produces antibodies that specifically bind the polypeptide and/or fragment of this invention; and b) removing biological materials comprising the antibodies from the animal. Also provided herein is an antibody produced by the methods set forth herein.
  • Antibodies of this invention can be generated using methods that are well known in the art.
  • Such antibodies and immunoglobulin molecules of this invention can include, but are not limited to, polyclonal antibodies, monoclonal antibodies, chimeric antibodies, humanized antibodies, single chain antibodies (e.g., scFv), Fab fragments, and fragments produced by a Fab expression library.
  • any animal known to produce antibodies can be immunized with a polypeptide, fragment and/or antigenic epitope of this invention.
  • Methods for immunization of animals to produce antibodies are well known in the art.
  • such methods can include subcutaneous or interperitoneal injection of the polypeptide, fragment and/or antigenic epitope of this invention.
  • the polypeptide, fragment or antigenic epitope that is used as an immunogen can be modified or administered in an adjuvant in order to increase antigenicity.
  • Methods of increasing the antigenicity of a protein or peptide include, but are not limited to, coupling the antigen with a heterologous protein (such as globulin or ⁇ -galactosidase) or through the inclusion of an adjuvant during immunization.
  • a heterologous protein such as globulin or ⁇ -galactosidase
  • various hosts including goats, rabbits, rats, mice, humans, and others, can be immunized by injection with the polypeptides and/or fragments of this invention, with or without a carrier protein.
  • various adjuvants may be used to increase the immunological response.
  • adjuvants include, but are not limited to, Freund's complete and incomplete adjuvants, mineral gels such as aluminum hydroxide, and surface-active substances such as lysolecithin, pluronic polyols, polyanions, peptides, oil emulsions, keyhole limpet hemocyanin, and dinitrophenol.
  • BCG Bacilli Calmette- Guerin
  • Corynebacterium parvum are especially preferable.
  • Polypeptides, peptides and/or fragments of this invention used as antigens to produce the antibodies of this invention can have an amino acid sequence consisting of at least five amino acids and in certain embodiments, at least ten amino acids.
  • the antigen is identical to a portion of the amino acid sequence of the natural protein, and it can contain the entire amino acid sequence of a small, naturally-occurring molecule. Short stretches of the polypeptides and/or fragments of this invention can be fused with all or a fragment of another protein that acts as a carrier protein (e.g., keyhole limpet hemocyanin) and antibodies can be produced against the chimeric polypeptide or peptide.
  • a carrier protein e.g., keyhole limpet hemocyanin
  • Monoclonal antibodies to the polypeptides and/or fragments of this invention are prepared using any technique, which provides for the production of antibody molecules by continuous cell lines in culture. These include, but are not limited to, the hybridoma technique, the human B-cell hybridoma technique, and the EBV-hybridoma technique (Kohler et al. 1975. Nature 256:495-497; Kozbor et al. 1985. J Immunol. Methods 81 :31- 42; Cote et al. 1983. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 80:2026-2030; Cole etal. 1984. Mo/. CellBiol. 62:109-120).
  • spleen cells from the immunized animal are removed, fused with myeloma cells, and cultured in selective medium to become monoclonal antibody-producing hybridoma cells, according to techniques routine in the art. Any one of a number of methods well known in the art can be used to identify the hybridoma cell, which produces an antibody with the desired characteristics. These include screening the hybridomas by ELISA assay, Western blot analysis, or radioimmunoassay. Hybridomas secreting the desired antibodies are cloned and the class and subclass are identified using standard procedures known in the art.
  • antibody-containing serum is isolated from the immunized animal and is screened for the presence of antibodies with the desired specificity using any of the well known procedures as described herein.
  • the present invention further provides antibodies of this invention in detectably labeled form.
  • Antibodies can be detectably labeled through the use of radioisotopes, affinity labels (such as biotin, avidin, etc.), enzymatic labels (such as horseradish peroxidase, alkaline phosphatase, etc.) fluorescence labels (such as FITC or rhodamine, etc.), paramagnetic atoms, gold beads, etc.
  • affinity labels such as biotin, avidin, etc.
  • enzymatic labels such as horseradish peroxidase, alkaline phosphatase, etc.
  • fluorescence labels such as FITC or rhodamine, etc.
  • paramagnetic atoms gold beads, etc.
  • the present invention further provides the above- described antibodies immobilized on a solid support (e.g., beads, plates, slides or wells formed from materials such as latex or polystyrene).
  • a solid support e.g., beads, plates, slides or wells formed from materials such as latex or polystyrene.
  • solid supports include plastics such as polycarbonate, complex carbohydrates such as agarose and sepharose, acrylic resins and such as polyacrylamide and latex beads. Techniques for coupling antibodies to such solid supports are well known in the art (Weir et al., Handbook of Experimental Immunology 4th Ed., Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford, England, Chapter 10 (1986)).
  • Antibodies can likewise be conjugated to detectable groups such as radiolabels (e.g., 35 S, 125 1, 131 I), enzyme labels (e.g., horseradish peroxidase, alkaline phosphatase), and fluorescence labels (e.g., fluorescein) in accordance with known techniques. Determination of the formation of an antibody/antigen complex in the methods of this invention can be by detection of, for example, precipitation, agglutination, flocculation, radioactivity, color development or change, fluorescence, luminescence, etc., as is well know in the art.
  • radiolabels e.g., 35 S, 125 1, 131 I
  • enzyme labels e.g., horseradish peroxidase, alkaline phosphatase
  • fluorescence labels e.g., fluorescein
  • Antibody fragments that specifically bind the polypeptides and/or fragments of this invention can also be generated.
  • fragments include, but are not limited to, the F(ab') 2 fragments that can be produced by pepsin digestion of the antibody molecule and the Fab fragments that can be generated by reducing the disulfide bridges of the F(ab ') 2 fragments.
  • Fab expression libraries may be constructed to allow rapid and easy identification of monoclonal Fab fragments with the desired specificity (Huse et al. 1989. Science 254:1275-1281).
  • immunoassays can be used for screening to identify antibodies having the desired specificity for the proteins and peptides of this invention.
  • Numerous protocols for competitive binding or immunoradiometric assays using either polyclonal or monoclonal antibodies with established specificity are well known in the art.
  • Such immunoassays typically involve the measurement of complex formation between an antigen and its specific antibody (e.g., antigen/antibody complex formation).
  • a two-site, monoclonal-based immunoassay utilizing monoclonal antibodies reactive to two non- interfering epitopes on the proteins or peptides of this invention can be used, as well as a competitive binding assay.
  • kits for detection of the polypeptides and/or fragments of this invention in a sample can comprise one or more antibodies of this invention, along with suitable buffers, wash solutions and/or other reagents for the detection of antibody/antigen complex formation.
  • a kit of this invention can comprise a polypeptide, an antigenic peptide of the polypeptide of this invention, a fragment of this invention and/or an antigenic peptide of a fragment of this invention, along with suitable buffers, wash solutions and/or other reagents for the detection of antibody/antigen complex formation.
  • the present invention further provides a kit for the detection of nucleic acid encoding the polypeptides and/or fragments of this invention.
  • the kit can comprise one or more nucleic acids of this invention, along with suitable buffers, wash solutions and/or other reagents for the detection of hybridization complex formation.
  • kits of this invention can comprise one or more containers and/or receptacles to hold the reagents (e.g., antibodies, antigens, nucleic acids) of the kit, along with appropriate buffers and/or wash solutions and directions for using the kit, as would be well known in the art.
  • reagents e.g., antibodies, antigens, nucleic acids
  • kits can further comprise adjuvants and/or other immunostimulatory or immunomodulating agents, as are well known in the art.
  • the nucleic acids encoding the polypeptides and/or fragments of this invention can be part of a recombinant nucleic acid construct comprising any combination of restriction sites and/or functional elements as are well known in the art which facilitate molecular cloning and other recombinant DNA manipulations.
  • the present invention further provides a recombinant nucleic acid construct comprising a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide and/or biologically active fragment of this invention.
  • the present invention further provides a vector comprising a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide and/or fragment of this invention.
  • the vector can be an expression vector which contains all of the genetic components required for expression of the nucleic acid in cells into which the vector has been introduced, as are well known in the art.
  • the expression vector can be a commercial expression vector or it can be constructed in the laboratory according to standard molecular biology protocols.
  • the expression vector can comprise viral nucleic acid including, but not limited to, vaccinia virus, adenovirus, retrovirus and/or adeno-associated virus nucleic acid.
  • the nucleic acid or vector of this invention can also be in a liposome or a delivery vehicle, which can be taken up by a cell via receptor-mediated or other type of endocytosis.
  • the nucleic acid of this invention can be in a cell, which can be a cell expressing the nucleic acid whereby a polypeptide and/or biologically active fragment of this invention is produced in the cell.
  • the vector of this invention can be in a cell, which can be a cell expressing the nucleic acid of the vector whereby a polypeptide and/or biologically active fragment of this invention is produced in the cell.
  • the nucleic acids and/or vectors of this invention can be present in a host animal (e.g., a transgenic animal), which expresses the nucleic acids of this invention and produces the polypeptides and/or fragments of this invention.
  • the nucleic acid encoding the polypeptide and/or fragment of this invention can be any nucleic acid that functionally encodes the polypeptides and/or fragments of this invention.
  • the nucleic acid of this invention can include, for example, expression control sequences, such as an origin of replication, a promoter, an enhancer and necessary information processing sites, such as ribosome binding sites, RNA splice sites, polyadenylation sites and transcriptional terminator sequences.
  • Preferred expression control sequences are promoters derived from metallothionine genes, actin genes, immunoglobulin genes, CMV, SV40, adenovirus, bovine papilloma virus, etc.
  • a nucleic acid encoding a selected polypeptide and/or fragment can readily be determined based upon the genetic code for the amino acid sequence of the selected polypeptide and/or fragment and many nucleic acids will encode any selected polypeptide and/or fragment. Modifications in the nucleic acid sequence encoding the polypeptide and/or fragment are also contemplated.
  • nucleic acid of this invention can be generated by means standard in the art, such as by recombinant nucleic acid techniques and by synthetic nucleic acid synthesis or in vitro enzymatic synthesis.
  • the present invention provides a Dl domain of CARDS Toxin comprising, consisting essentially of and/or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:69 and/or SEQ ID NO:75, a D2 domain of CARDS Toxin comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 70,and/or a D3 domain of CARDS Toxin comprising, consisting essentially of, and/or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:71, in any combination.
  • an isolated nucleic acid encoding the amino acid sequence of the domains Dl, D2 and D3 of this invention can comprise, consist of and/or consist essentially of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:74.
  • domain peptides can be used as antigens for the production of antibodies, which can be polyclonal and/or monoclonal, according to well known protocols.
  • the domain peptides and antibodies can be used in the methods described herein for the detection of M. pneumoniae antibodies and proteins and/or for diagnosis of M. pneumoniae infection, as well as in therapeutic methods to treat M. pneumoniae infection and related diseases as described herein.
  • the present invention further provides a method of producing a polypeptide and/or biologically active fragment according to the methods set forth in the Examples provided herein, and as are well known in the art for polypeptide synthesis.
  • a nucleic acid encoding the polypeptides and/or fragments of this invention can be synthesized according to standard nucleic acid synthesis protocols and the nucleic acid can be expressed according to methods well known for expression of nucleic acid.
  • the resulting polypeptide and/or fragment can then be removed from the expression system by standard isolation and purification procedures and tested for any of the various biological activities described herein according to methods as taught herein as well as methods routine in the art.
  • the present invention also provides a method for producing the polypeptides and/or biologically active fragments of this invention comprising producing the cells of this invention which contain the nucleic acids or vectors of this invention as exogenous nucleic acid; culturing the cells under conditions whereby the exogenous nucleic acid in the cell can be expressed and the encoded polypeptide and/or fragment can be produced; and isolating the polypeptide and/or fragment from the cell.
  • the polypeptides and/or fragments of this invention can be produced in quantity in vitro in either prokaryotic or eukaryotic expression systems as are well known in the art.
  • E. coli ⁇ Escherichia col ⁇ E. coli ⁇ Escherichia col ⁇ expression vectors known to one of ordinary skill in the art useful for the expression of nucleic acid that encodes polypeptides.
  • Other microbial hosts suitable for use include bacilli, such as Bacillus subtilis, and other enterobacteria, such as Salmonella, Serratia, as well as various Pseudomonas species.
  • These prokaryotic hosts can support expression vectors that will typically contain expression control sequences compatible with the host cell (e.g., an origin of replication).
  • any number of a variety of well-known promoters can be present, such as the lactose promoter system, a tryptophan (Trp) promoter system, a beta-lactamase promoter system, or a promoter system from phage lambda.
  • the promoters will typically control expression, optionally with an operator sequence and have ribosome binding site sequences for example, for initiating and completing transcription and translation.
  • an amino terminal methionine can be provided by insertion of a Met codon 5' and in-frame with the polypeptide.
  • the carboxy-terminal extension of the polypeptide can be removed using standard oligonucleotide mutagenesis procedures.
  • the nucleic acid sequences can be expressed in hosts after the sequences have been positioned to ensure the functioning of an expression control sequence.
  • These expression vectors are typically replicable in the host organisms either as episomes or as an integral part of the host chromosomal DNA.
  • expression vectors can contain selection markers, e.g., tetracycline resistance or hygromycin resistance, to permit detection and/or selection of those cells transformed with the desired nucleic acid sequences.
  • selection markers e.g., tetracycline resistance or hygromycin resistance
  • yeast expression system can be used for eukaryotic system expression. There are several advantages to yeast expression systems. First, evidence exists that polypeptides produced in a yeast expression system exhibit correct disulfide pairing. Second, post-translational glycosylation is efficiently carried out by yeast expression systems.
  • the Saccharomyces cerevisiae pre-pro-alpha-factor leader region (encoded by the MFa-I gene) is routinely used to direct protein secretion from yeast.
  • the leader region of pre-pro-alpha-factor contains a signal peptide and a pro- segment, which includes a recognition sequence for a yeast protease encoded by the KEX2 gene. This enzyme cleaves the precursor protein on the carboxyl side of a Lys- Arg dipeptide cleavage-signal sequence.
  • the polypeptide coding sequence can be fused in- frame to the pre-pro-alpha-factor leader region.
  • This construct is then put under the control of a strong transcription promoter, such as the alcohol dehydrogenase I promoter or a glycolytic promoter.
  • the coding sequence is followed by a translation termination codon, which is followed by transcription termination signals.
  • the coding sequence of interest can be fused to a second polypeptide coding sequence, such as Sj26 or ⁇ -galactosidase, used to facilitate purification of the resulting fusion polypeptide by affinity chromatography.
  • the insertion of protease cleavage sites to separate the components of the fusion polypeptide is applicable to constructs used for expression in yeast. Efficient post-translational glycosylation and expression of recombinant polypeptides can also be achieved in Baculovirus systems in insect cells, as are well known in the art.
  • the peptides, polypeptides and/or fragments of this invention can be expressed in mammalian cells.
  • Mammalian cells permit the expression of peptides and polypeptides in an environment that favors important post-translational modifications such as folding and cysteine pairing, addition of complex carbohydrate structures and secretion of active protein.
  • Vectors useful for the expression of peptides and polypeptides in mammalian cells are characterized by insertion of the coding sequence between a strong (e.g., viral) promoter and a polyadenylation signal.
  • the vectors can contain genes conferring either, e.g., gentamicin or methotrexate resistance, for use as selectable markers.
  • the coding sequence can be introduced into a Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line using a methotrexate resistance-encoding vector. Presence of the vector RNA in transformed cells can be confirmed by Northern blot analysis and production of a cDNA or opposite strand RNA corresponding to the polypeptide or fragment coding sequence can be confirmed by Southern and Northern blot analysis, respectively.
  • suitable host cell lines capable of producing exogenous polypeptides have been developed in the art and include the CHO cell lines, HeLa cells, myeloma cell lines, Jurkat cells and the like. Expression vectors for these cells can include expression control sequences, as described above.
  • nucleic acids and/or vectors of this invention can be transferred into the host cell by well-known methods, which vary depending on the type of cell host. For example, calcium chloride transfection is commonly used for prokaryotic cells, whereas calcium phosphate treatment or electroporation can be used for other cell hosts.
  • polypeptides, fragments, nucleic acids, vectors and cells of this invention can be present in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
  • pharmaceutically acceptable is meant a material that is not biologically or otherwise undesirable, i.e., the material may be administered to an individual along with the selected polypeptide, fragment, nucleic acid, vector or cell without causing substantial deleterious biological effects or interacting in a deleterious manner with any of the other components of the composition in which it is contained.
  • compositions of this invention can comprise a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier and a suitable adjuvant.
  • suitable adjuvant describes an adjuvant capable of being combined with the polypeptide and/or fragment and/or nucleic acid of this invention to further enhance an immune response without deleterious effect on the subject or the cell of the subject.
  • a suitable adjuvant can be, but is not limited to, MONTANIDE ISA51 (Seppic, Inc., Fairfield, NJ), SYNTEX adjuvant formulation 1 (SAF-I), composed of 5 percent (wt/vol) squalene (DASF, Parsippany, N.J.), 2.5 percent Pluronic, L121 polymer (Aldrich Chemical, Milwaukee), and 0.2 percent polysorbate (Tween 80, Sigma) in phosphate-buffered saline.
  • SAF-I SYNTEX adjuvant formulation 1
  • Suitable adjuvants include QS-21, Freund's adjuvant (complete and incomplete), alum, aluminum phosphate, aluminum hydroxide, N-acetyl-muramyl-L-threonyl-D-isoglutamine (thr-MDP), N-acetyl-nor-muramyl-L- alanyl-D-isoglutamine (CGP 11637, referred to as nor-MDP), N-acetylmuramyl-L- alanyl-D-isoglutaminyl-L-alanine-2-(r-2'-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3- hydroxyphosphoryloxy)-ethylamine (CGP 19835 A, referred to as MTP-PE) and RIBI, which contains three components extracted from bacteria, monophosphoryl lipid A, trealose dimycolate and cell wall skeleton (MPL+TDM+CWS) in 2% squalen
  • compositions of the present invention can also include other medicinal agents, pharmaceutical agents, carriers, diluents, immunostimulatory cytokines, etc. Actual methods of preparing such dosage forms are known, or will be apparent, to those skilled in this art. It is contemplated that the above-described compositions of this invention can be administered to a subject or to a cell of a subject to impart a therapeutic benefit.
  • the present invention further provides a method of producing an immune response in a subject, comprising administering to the subject or to a cell of the subject an effective amount of a polypeptide and/or biologically active fragment of this invention and/or a nucleic acid comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide and/or biologically active fragment of this invention.
  • the cell of the subject can be in vivo or ex vivo and can be, but is not limited to a CD 8+ T lymphocyte (e.g., a cytotoxic T lymphocyte) or an MHC I-expressing antigen presenting cell, such as a dendritic cell, a macrophage and/or a monocyte.
  • Detection of an immune response in the subject or in the cells of the subject can be carried out according to methods standard in the art for detecting a humoral and/or cellular immune response.
  • the present invention provides a method of eliciting an immune response in a subject, comprising administering to the subject an effective amount of a polypeptide and/of fragment of this invention. Also provided herein is a method of eliciting an immune response in a subject, comprising administering to the subject an effective amount of a nucleic acid and/or vector of this invention.
  • the present invention provides a method of providing passive immunity to a subject, comprising administering to the subject an effective amount of an antibody of this invention to the subject.
  • compositions of this invention can also be employed as a therapeutic and/or prophylactic formulation and administered to a subject in need thereof.
  • the present invention provides a method of treating or preventing infection or intoxication by Mycoplasma pneumoniae in a subject, comprising administering to the subject an effective amount of a polypeptide and/or fragment of this invention, a nucleic acid and/or vector of this invention, and/or an antibody of this invention.
  • the present invention provides a method of treating or preventing infection or intoxication caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae in a subject comprising contacting an immune cell of the subject with any of the polypeptides, fragments, nucleic acids, vectors and/or antibodies of this invention.
  • the cell can be in vivo or ex vivo and can be, for example, a CD8 + T cell which is contacted with the polypeptide and/or fragment of this invention in the presence of a class I MHC molecule, which can be a soluble molecule or it can be present on the surface of a cell which expresses class I MHC molecules.
  • the cell can also be an antigen presenting cell or other class I MHC-expressing cell which can be contacted with the nucleic acids and/or vectors of this invention under conditions whereby the nucleic acid or vector is introduced into the cell by standard methods for uptake of nucleic acid and vectors.
  • the nucleic acid encoding the polypeptide and/or fragment of this invention is then expressed and the polypeptide and/or fragment product is processed within the antigen presenting cell or other MHC I-expressing cell and presented on the cell surface as an MHC I/antigen complex.
  • the antigen presenting cell or other class I MHC-expressing cell is then contacted with an immune cell of the subject which binds the class I MHC /antigen complex and elicits an immune response which treats or prevents Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in the subject.
  • compositions of this invention are administered to a subject or to a cell of a subject
  • methods can further comprise the step of administering a suitable adjuvant to the subject or to a cell of the subject.
  • the adjuvant can be in the composition of this invention or the adjuvant can be in a separate composition comprising the suitable adjuvant and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
  • the adjuvant can be administered prior to, simultaneous with, or after administration of the composition containing any of the polypeptides, fragments, nucleic acids and/or vectors of this invention.
  • QS-21 similar to alum, complete Freund's adjuvant, SAF, etc.
  • QS-21 can be administered within days/weeks/hours (before or after) of administration of the composition of this invention.
  • the effectiveness of an adjuvant can be determined by measuring the immune response directed against the polypeptide and/or fragment of this invention with and without the adjuvant, using standard procedures, as described in the Examples herein and as are well known in the art.
  • the subject of this invention can be any subject in need of the immune response of this invention and/or in need of treatment for or prevention from Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection, as well as any subject in whom it is desirable to induce an immune response to Mycoplasma pneumoniae.
  • Symptoms of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection can include tracheobronchitis and pneumonia with extrapulmonary pathologies, such as neurologic, cardiac, gastrointestinal, dermatologic, renal and joint complications.
  • a range of serological (elevated IgM and IgG seroconversion) assays and PCR detection can be used for diagnosing M. pneumoniae infection.
  • Appropriate treatment can lead to resolution of respiratory symptoms such as decreased fever and cough, complete recovery of respiratory function including normal lung radiogram, and normal levels of tissue enzymes and CSF analysis.
  • decreased levels of M. pneumoniae cells, antigens and nucleic acids in blood, sputum, bronchial lavage should accompany effective treatment.
  • M. pneumoniae infection can include infected individuals coughing, sneezing and transmitting aerosols containing M. pneumoniae.
  • the transmission rate is very high, which is why M. pneumoniae is such a common cause of community acquired pneumonia.
  • Highest targets of infection are children, especially 5-9 years old and adults between ages 25-40, although infection can occur among all 'healthy' individuals.
  • a subject for whom the methods of this invention would be indicated for preventing M. pneumoniae infection can, in some embodiments, be a child or young adult.
  • compositions of this invention can be administered to a cell of a subject or to a subject either in vivo or ex vivo.
  • the compositions of this invention can be administered orally, parenterally (e.g., intravenously), by intramuscular injection, by intraperitoneal injection, subcutaneous injection, transdermally, extracorporeally, topically or the like.
  • the compositions of this invention can be pulsed onto dendritic cells, which are isolated or grown from a subject's cells, according to methods well known in the art, or onto bulk peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) or various cell subfractions thereof from a subject.
  • PBMC peripheral blood mononuclear cells
  • compositions required will vary from subject to subject, depending on the species, age, weight and general condition of the subject, the particular composition used, its mode of administration and the like. Thus, it is not possible to specify an exact amount for every composition of this invention. However, effective amount can be determined by one of ordinary skill in the art using only routine experimentation given the teachings herein. As an example, to a subject diagnosed with M. pneumoniae infection or known to be at risk of being infected with M.
  • a polypeptide and/or biologically active fragment of this invention can be administered subcutaneously and can be in an adjuvant, at one to three hour/day/week intervals until an evaluation of the subject's clinical parameters indicate that the subject is not infected by M. pneumoniae and/or the subject demonstrates the desired immunological response.
  • a polypeptide and/or fragment of this invention can be pulsed onto dendritic cells at a concentration of between about 10-100 ⁇ M and the dendritic cells can be administered to the subject intravenously at the same time intervals.
  • the treatment can be continued or resumed if the subject's clinical parameters indicate that M. pneumoniae infection is present and can be maintained until the infection is no longer detected by these parameters and/or until the desired immunological response is achieved.
  • cells or tissues can be removed and maintained outside the subject's body according to standard protocols well known in the art.
  • the polypeptides and/or biologically active fragments of this invention can be introduced into the cells via known mechanisms for uptake of polypeptides into cells (e.g., phagocytosis, pulsing onto class I MHC-expressing cells, liposomes, etc.).
  • the cells can then be infused (e.g., in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier) or transplanted back into the subject per standard methods for the cell or tissue type. Standard methods are known for transplantation or infusion of various cells into a subject.
  • the nucleic acids and vectors of this invention can also be administered to a cell of the subject either in vivo or ex vivo.
  • the cell can be any cell that can take up and express exogenous nucleic acid and produce the polypeptides and/or fragments of this invention.
  • the polypeptides and/or fragments of this invention can be produced by a cell that secretes them, whereby the polypeptide and/or fragment is produced and secreted and then taken up and subsequently processed by an antigen presenting cell or other class I MHC-expressing cell and presented to the immune system for induction of an immune response.
  • nucleic acids and/or vectors of this invention can be directly introduced into an antigen presenting cell and/or other class I MHC-expressing cell in which the polypeptide and/or fragment is produced and processed directly and presented to the immune system on the cell surface.
  • the nucleic acids and vectors of this invention can be administered orally, intranasally, parenterally (e.g., intravenously), by intramuscular injection, by intraperitoneal injection, transdermally, extracorporeally, topically or the like.
  • the nucleic acids of the present invention can be in the form of naked DNA or the nucleic acids can be in a vector for delivering the nucleic acids to the cells for expression of the polypeptides and/or fragments of this invention.
  • the vector can be a commercially available preparation or can be constructed in the laboratory according to methods well known in the art. Delivery of the nucleic acid or vector to cells can be via a variety of mechanisms.
  • delivery can be via a liposome, using commercially available liposome preparations such as LIPOFECTIN, LIPOFECTAMINE (GIBCO- BRL, Inc., Gaithersburg, MD), SUPERFECT (Qiagen, Inc. Hilden, Germany) and TRANSFECTAM (Promega Biotec, Inc., Madison, WI), as well as other liposomes developed according to procedures standard in the art.
  • the nucleic acid or vector of this invention can be delivered in vivo by electroporation, the technology for which is available from Genetronics, Inc. (San Diego, CA) as well as by means of a SONOPORATION machine (ImaRx Pharmaceutical Corp., Arlington, AZ).
  • vector delivery can be via a viral system, such as a retroviral vector system, which can package a recombinant retroviral genome.
  • the recombinant retrovirus can then be used to infect and thereby deliver to the infected cells nucleic acid encoding the polypeptide and/or fragment of this invention.
  • the exact method of introducing the exogenous nucleic acid into mammalian cells is, of course, not limited to the use of retroviral vectors.
  • adenoviral vectors alphaviral vectors, adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors, lentiviral vectors, pseudotyped retroviral vectors and vaccinia viral vectors, as well as any other viral vectors now known or developed in the future.
  • Physical transduction techniques can also be used, such as liposome delivery and receptor-mediated and other endocytosis mechanisms. This invention can be used in conjunction with any of these or other commonly used gene transfer methods.
  • the dosage for administration of adenovirus to humans can range from about 10 7 to 10 9 plaque forming units (pfu) per injection, but can be as high as 10 12 , 10 15 and/or 10 20 pfu per injection.
  • a subject will receive a single injection. If additional injections are necessary, they can be repeated at daily/weekly/monthly intervals for an indefinite period and/or until the efficacy of the treatment has been established.
  • the efficacy of treatment can be determined by evaluating the symptoms and clinical parameters described herein and/or by detecting a desired immunological response.
  • nucleic acid or vector The exact amount of the nucleic acid or vector required will vary from subject to subject, depending on the species, age, weight and general condition of the subject, the particular nucleic acid or vector used, its mode of administration and the like. Thus, it is not possible to specify an exact amount for every nucleic acid or vector. However, an appropriate amount can be determined by one of ordinary skill in the art using only routine experimentation given the teachings herein.
  • cells or tissues can be removed and maintained outside the body according to standard protocols well known in the art.
  • the nucleic acids and vectors of this invention can be introduced into the cells via any gene transfer mechanism, such as, for example, virus-mediated gene delivery, calcium phosphate mediated gene delivery, electroporation, microinjection or proteoliposomes.
  • the transduced cells can then be infused (e.g., in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier) or transplanted back into the subject per standard methods for the cell or tissue type. Standard methods are known for transplantation or infusion of various cells into a subject.
  • Parenteral administration of the peptides, polypeptides, nucleic acids and/or vectors of the present invention, if used, is generally characterized by injection.
  • Injectables can be prepared in conventional forms, either as liquid solutions or suspensions, solid forms suitable for solution of suspension in liquid prior to injection, or as emulsions.
  • parenteral administration includes intradermal, intranasal, subcutaneous, intramuscular, intraperitoneal, intravenous and intratracheal routes, as well as a slow release or sustained release system such that a constant dosage is maintained. See, e.g., U.S. Patent No. 3,610,795, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
  • the efficacy of treating or preventing Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection by the methods of the present invention can be determined by detecting a clinical improvement as indicated by a change in the subject's symptoms and/or clinical parameters, as would be well known to one of skill in the art.
  • compositions of the present invention can be used in diagnostic and therapeutic applications.
  • the present invention provides a method of detecting the presence of a polypeptide and/or fragment of this invention in a sample, comprising contacting the sample with an antibody of this invention under conditions whereby an antigen/antibody complex can form and detecting formation of an antigen/antibody complex, thereby detecting the presence of a. Mycoplasma pneumoniae polypeptide and/or fragment of this invention in the sample.
  • the present invention provides a method of detecting the presence of an antibody of this invention in a sample, comprising contacting the sample with a polypeptide and/or fragment of this invention under conditions whereby an antigen/antibody complex can form and detecting formation of an antigen/antibody complex, thereby detecting the presence of & Mycoplasma pneumoniae antibody of this invention in the sample.
  • the present invention provides a method of detecting the presence of the CARDS toxin of this invention in a sample (e.g., a biological sample from a subject or a food or water sample or other sample that could contain CARDS toxin) and/or a subject and/or diagnosing infection by M. pneumoniae in a subject, comprising contacting the sample with surfactant protein A (SP-A) under conditions whereby a toxin/SP-A complex can form; and detecting formation of the toxin/SP-A complex, thereby detecting the presence of CARDS toxin in a sample and/or diagnosing infection by M. pneumoniae in a subject.
  • a sample e.g., a biological sample from a subject or a food or water sample or other sample that could contain CARDS toxin
  • SP-A surfactant protein A
  • a secondary antigen, secondary ligand and/or secondary antibody that is detectably labeled can be employed (e.g., a "sandwich immunoassay").
  • the sample of this invention can be any sample in which Mycoplasma pneumoniae toxin can be present.
  • the sample can be a body fluid, cells or tissue that can contain Mycoplasma pneumoniae toxin, including but not limited to, blood, serum, plasma, saliva, sputum, bronchoalveolar lavage, urine, semen, joint fluid, cerebrospinal fluid and cells, fluids and/or tissue from all organs to which CARDS toxin can disseminate including lung, liver, heart, brain, kidney, spleen, muscle, etc.
  • Mycoplasma pneumoniae toxin including but not limited to, blood, serum, plasma, saliva, sputum, bronchoalveolar lavage, urine, semen, joint fluid, cerebrospinal fluid and cells, fluids and/or tissue from all organs to which CARDS toxin can disseminate including lung, liver, heart, brain, kidney, spleen, muscle, etc.
  • the present invention provides a method of diagnosing Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in a subject comprising contacting a biological sample from the subject with a polypeptide and/or fragment of this invention under conditions whereby an antigen/antibody complex can form; and detecting formation of an antigen/antibody complex, thereby diagnosing Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in the subject.
  • a method of diagnosing Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in a subject comprising contacting a biological sample from the subject with an antibody of this invention under conditions whereby an antigen/antibody complex can form; and detecting formation of an antigen/antibody complex, thereby diagnosing Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in the subject.
  • the present invention provides a method of diagnosing infection by Mycloplasma pneumoniae in a subject, comprising contacting a biological sample from the subject with the nucleic acid of this invention under conditions whereby hybridization of nucleic acid molecules can occur and detecting a hybridization complex, thereby diagnosing infection by Mycoplasma pneumoniae in the subject.
  • the present invention provides a method of identifying a subject infected with Mycoplasma pneumoniae as having a poor prognosis, comprising: a) establishing a correlation between the presence of and/or an amount of a polypeptide, fragment, nucleic acid and/or antibody of this invention in a sample of test subjects infected with Mycoplasma pneumoniae and who have or had a poor prognosis; and b) detecting in a biological sample from the subject the presence of and/or an amount of the polypeptide, fragment, nucleic acid and/or antibody of this invention correlated with a poor prognosis, thereby identifying the subject infected with Mycoplasma pneumoniae as having a poor prognosis.
  • a correlation can be made between a level of antibodies to the CARDS toxin and a degree of respiratory and/or pulmonary dysfunction indicative of a poor prognosis.
  • the present invention also provides various screening assays that employ the polypeptides, fragments and/or nucleic acids of this invention.
  • a method of identifying a substance having the ability to inhibit or enhance the binding activity of a polypeptide and/or biologically active fragment of this invention comprising contacting the substance with the CARDS protein or a biologically active fragment thereof under conditions whereby binding can occur and detecting a decrease or increase in the amount of binding in the presence of the substance as compared to a control amount of binding in the absence of the substance, thereby identifying a substance having the ability to inhibit or enhance the binding activity of the CARDS toxin.
  • Inhibition or enhancement of binding activity can be detected by any of a variety of art-recognized methods for evaluating binding activity.
  • the substance to be tested and the CARDS polypeptide and/or fragment can be contacted in the presence of target cells or a target substrate (e.g., surfactant protein A; SP-A) known to bind the polypeptide or fragment.
  • target substrate e.g., surfactant protein A; SP-A
  • the amount of binding of polypeptide or fragment to the cells or the substrate in the presence of the substance and the amount of binding of polypeptide or fragment to the cells or the substrate in the absence of the substance is determined and a decrease or increase in the amount of binding in the presence of the substance identifies the substance as having the ability to inhibit or enhance binding.
  • binding of polypeptide and/or fragment to target cells or a target substrate can be measured by attaching a detectable moiety to the polypeptide or fragment (e.g., a fluorescence moiety, histochemically detectable moiety, radioactive moiety, etc.).
  • a detectable moiety e.g., a fluorescence moiety, histochemically detectable moiety, radioactive moiety, etc.
  • the amount of detectable moiety can be measured in the presence and absence of the substance to be tested and the amounts can be compared to determine inhibition or enhancement.
  • Binding activity can also be determined by comparing the amount of cytopathology observed in a monolayer of target cells in the presence and absence of the substance to be tested.
  • Target cells that can be used in such a binding assay include, but are not limited to, Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, Hep2 cells, human lung and kidney epithelial and fibroblast cells, and any other mammalian cells that exhibit sensitivity to CARDS toxin now known or later identified.
  • CHO Chinese hamster ovary
  • Hep2 cells Hep2 cells
  • human lung and kidney epithelial and fibroblast cells include, but are not limited to, Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, Hep2 cells, human lung and kidney epithelial and fibroblast cells, and any other mammalian cells that exhibit sensitivity to CARDS toxin now known or later identified.
  • the present invention provides a method of identifying a substance having the ability to inhibit or enhance the translocating activity of a polypeptide and/or a biologically active fragment of this invention, comprising contacting the substance with the polypeptide of this invention and/or a biologically active fragment thereof under conditions whereby translocation activity can occur and detecting a decrease or increase in the amount of translocation activity in the presence of the substance as compared to a control amount of translocation activity in the absence of the substance, thereby identifying a substance having the ability to inhibit or enhance the translocating activity of the CARDS toxin.
  • Inhibition or enhancement of translocating activity can be detected by any of a variety of art-recognized methods for evaluating translocating activity.
  • the substance to be tested and the CARDS polypeptide and/or fragment can be contacted in the presence of target cells known to translocate the CARDS toxin.
  • the amount of translocation of polypeptide or fragment into the cells in the presence of the substance and the amount of translocation of polypeptide or fragment into the cells in the absence of the substance is determined and a decrease or increase in the amount of translocation in the presence of the substance identifies the substance as having the ability to inhibit or enhance translocation of the CARDS toxin.
  • Translocation of polypeptide and/or fragment into target cells can be measured by attaching a detectable moiety to the polypeptide or fragment (e.g., a fluorescence moiety, histochemically detectable moiety, radioactive moiety, etc.).
  • the amount of translocated detectable moiety can be measured in the presence and absence of the substance to be tested and the amounts can be compared to determine inhibition or enhancement of translocation.
  • Translocation activity can also be determined by comparing the amount of cytopathology observed in a monolayer of target cells in the presence and absence of the substance to be tested.
  • Target cells that can be used in such a translocation assay include, but are not limited to, Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, etc.
  • a method of identifying a substance having the ability to enhance or inhibit the immunogenic activity of the CARDS toxin of this invention and/or a biologically active fragment thereof comprising contacting the substance with the CARDS toxin or an immunogenic fragment thereof under conditions whereby a measurable immune response can be elicited and detecting an increase or decrease in the amount of immune response in the presence of the substance, as compared to a control amount of immune response in the absence of the substance, thereby identifying a substance having the ability to enhance or inhibit immunogenic activity of the
  • CARDS toxin Assays to detect and measure immune responses are well known in the art and can be employed to detect either humoral or cellular immune responses.
  • the present invention provides a method of identifying a substance having the ability to inhibit or enhance the ADP-ribosylating activity of the CARDS toxin of this invention and/or biologically active fragments thereof, comprising contacting the substance with the CARDS toxin or biologically active fragment thereof under conditions whereby ADP ribosylation can occur and detecting a decrease or increase in the amount of ADP ribosylation in the presence of the substance as compared to a control amount of ADP ribosylation in the absence of the substance, thereby identifying a substance having the ability to inhibit or enhance the ADP ribosylating activity of the CARDS toxin.
  • a method of identifying a substance having the ability to inhibit or enhance the cytopatholpgy-inducing activity of the CARDS toxin of this invention and/or a biologically active fragment thereof comprising contacting the substance with the CARDS toxin or biologically active fragment thereof under conditions whereby cytopathology (e.g., changes in cell morphology, monolayer characteristics, etc.) of target cells can be induced and detecting a decrease or increase in the amount of cytopathology in the presence of the substance, as compared to a control amount of cytopathology in the absence of the substance, thereby identifying a substance having the ability to inhibit or enhance the cytopathology-inducing activity of the CARDS toxin or biologically active fragment thereof.
  • cytopathology e.g., changes in cell morphology, monolayer characteristics, etc.
  • Substances identified in the screening assays of this invention to have the ability to inhibit or enhance various of the activities of the polypeptides and/or fragments of this invention can be employed in methods of diagnosing M. pneumoniae infection, as well as in methods of treating and/or preventing M. pneumoniae infection.
  • such substances can be present in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier for administration to a subject and an effective amount of the substance can be administered to a subject to treat and/or prevent infection by Mycoplasma pneumoniae.
  • the present invention includes methods of screening Mycoplasma pneumoniae cultures for mutants defective in one or more of the biological activities of the CARDS toxin, for use in a vaccine preparation.
  • Such mutants can be identified as having a defect in any of the biological activities of the CARDS toxin according to the protocols described herein and as are known in the art.
  • Such mutants can be further tested for being attenuated in the ability to produce a clinical infection in a subject (i.e., for virulence potential) and then further evaluated for use as a vaccine according to known protocols.
  • CARDS toxin mutants of Mycoplasma pneumoniae can be generated through such art-known techniques as gene disruption and their virulence potential determined by challenge studies in hamsters and by adherence and cytopathology assessments in hamster tracheal rings in organ culture and in cell culture, as is well known in the art.
  • complementation studies can be performed to restore the defective activity of the CARDS toxin, in order to characterize the mutant.
  • M. pneumoniae reference strain M129/B9 and clinical isolates Sl, L2, JLl and RJLl were grown to late logarithmic phase in SP-4 medium at 37 0 C for 72 h in 150- cm 2 tissue culture flasks.
  • Mycoplasmas were harvested by washing three times with PBS [150 mM NaCl, 10 mM sodium phosphate, pH 7.4] and pelleting at 12,500 g for 15 min at 4 0 C.
  • M. pneumoniae chromosomal DNA was isolated using Easy DNA kit according to the manufacturer's protocol (Invitrogen).
  • Wild-type Mycoplasma pneumoniae M129/B9 and clinical isolates were grown in SP-4 medium as above.
  • Mycoplasma monolayers in logarithmic growth phase were washed two times with 10 ml PBS (pH 7.4) and one time with Dulbecco Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM) without L-cysteine and L-methionine and resuspended in 10 ml Dulbecco Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM) without L-cysteine and L-methionine supplemented with 10 % heat-inactivated fetal bovine serum and 100 ⁇ Ci L- [ 35 S]methionine.
  • DMEM Dulbecco Modified Eagle Medium
  • Cell pellets were resuspended in 1 ml complete lysis buffer (CLB) prepared shortly before use (150 mM NaCl, 10 mM Tris, 20 ⁇ M EGTA, 0.5 M Triton-X 114, 1 mM CaCl 2 and protease inhibitors 1 ⁇ M pepstatin A, 200 ⁇ M PMSF, 1 mM N- ⁇ -p-tosyl-L-lysine chloromethyl ketone (TLCK), and 10 ⁇ M leupeptin. Cell pellets in CLB were sheared through 25 gauge needles using 3 ml syringes to obtain clear lysis.
  • CLB complete lysis buffer
  • a 20 x 1.2 cm control glass column was packed with 3 ml uncoupled Sepharose, another identical (experimental) column was packed with 3 ml Sepharose coupled to SP-A.
  • Coupling of SP-A to Sepharose CL-4B was performed as follows: A total of 1.5 mg of SP-
  • A was coupled to 2g of C ⁇ Br-activated Sepharose CL-4B according to the manufacture's instructions except the coupling buffer was 10 mM sodium bicarbonate, pH 8.3.
  • SP-A coupled Sepharose was stored in 5 ml of 5 mM Tris pH 7.5, containing ImM NaN 3 . Columns were equilibrated with 50 ml CLB prior to addition of radiolabeled cell lysates.
  • Radiolabeled cell lysates were collected and reapplied to each column 3-4 times. After samples were added, columns were washed with 10 times volume of packed material to remove unbound proteins. M. pneumoniae SP-A-binding proteins were eluted using a
  • SDS-polyacrylamide gels containing M. pneumoniae SP-A binding proteins were stained with Coomassie brilliant blue and washed thoroughly in distilled water.
  • LB Luria Bertani
  • PCR-based "splicing by overlap extension” (SOE) methods are employed to mutagenize UGA in these genes. This method is based on the principle that two overlapping complementary ends may prime on each other and be extended to yield a hybrid product, and a second PCR with two primers annealing at the non-overlapping ends will amplify this hybrid.
  • An example of a stepwise strategy for SOE-PCR is as follows. 1. 'a' and 'd' are primers for a gene and 'b' and 'c' are primers to mutagenize the UGA region. 2. Amplification carried out with primers 'a' and 'b' and using genomic DNA as template gives a DNA fragment "AB" of the gene. 3.
  • Amplification carried out with primers 'c' and 'd' and using genomic DNA as template will give DNA fragment "CD" of the gene. 4. Amplification with primers 'a' and 'd' and using DNA fragments "AB" + "CD” as templates will give the UGA modified mutant gene fragment.
  • the overlapping primers covering the UGA codon in the genes are modified as UGG. a codon that still codes for tryptophan, and the primer sets depend upon the number of UGAs to be mutated in each gene.
  • genomic DNA of M. pneumoniae is used as template, and AccuTaq polymerase mix (Sigma) is used to amplify DNA fragments.
  • Mycoplasma total proteins or purified recombinant CARDS protein were resolved on 4-12% SDS-polyacrylamide gels (NuPAGE, InVitrogen) (His-tag released, i.e., minus His tag) and transferred electrophoretically to nitrocellulose membranes
  • Figure 1 is an immunoblot of sera from three patients, RJ, 1970 and MJ, infected with Mycoplasma pneumoniae.
  • Purified M. pneumoniae recombinant CARDS toxin was resolved in 4-12% SDS-PAGE and transferred to nitrocellulose membranes.
  • Membranes were blocked for two hours with 5% blotto and treated with patients' sera for two hours at room temperature. Patients' sera were diluted as follows. RJ and MJ: 1 :50, and 1970: 1:100 in 2% blotto. Membranes were washed and treated with alkaline phosphatase-conjugated goat anti-human antibodies diluted 1 :2000 in TBS-T and two hours and color developed.
  • M. pneumoniae total cell preparations of different clinical isolated (RJl, Jl, Sl and L2) and laboratory strain (B9) were dissolved in 150 ⁇ l SDS sample buffer, boiled for two minutes and separated by SDS-PAGE using 4-12% NuPAGE SDS-polyacrylamide gels. Proteins were transferred to nitrocellulose membranes (Shleicher & Schull, Dassel, Germany) by electroblotting.
  • Membranes were blocked for one hour at room temperature with blocking buffer (20 mM Tris-base, 150 mM NaCl, 3% skim milk powder) and incubated with anti-CARDS Toxin mouse polyclonal antibodies diluted 1 :2000 in antibody buffer (20 mM Tris-base, 150 mM NaCl, 3% skim milk powder) for one hour at 37 0 C. Bound IgG was detected with alkaline phosphatase (AP)-conjugated goat-antimouse IgG diluted 1 :3000.
  • blocking buffer 20 mM Tris-base, 150 mM NaCl, 3% skim milk powder
  • M. pneumoniae recombinant 68 kDa CARDS (rCARDS) toxin (3 ⁇ g) or the N terminal domain of CARDS toxin, rDl (1 ⁇ g) as described herein was dissolved in 150 ⁇ l LDS sample buffer (NuPAGE), boiled for two minutes and separated by SDS-PAGE using 4-12% NuPAGE SDS-polyacrylamide gels. Proteins were transferred to nitrocellulose membranes (Schleicher & Schull,
  • ELISAs were also carried out on the samples collected from patients 1 and 2 described above (i.e., samples 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, 2-1, 2-2, and 2-3). In these assays, washing at each stage was performed at least three times with PBS and sera and antibodies were diluted in 1% BSA in PBS. Each well of Immulon 4 HBX Immunoplates (Dynox) was coated overnight at 4 0 C with 50 ⁇ l of rC ARDS toxin/Dl (1 ⁇ g/well) diluted in carbonate/bicarbonate buffer (32 mM Na 2 CO 3 , 64 mM NaHCO 3 ).
  • PNPP p-nitrophenyl phosphate
  • Immulon 4 HBX Immunoplates (Dynox) was coated overnight at 4 0 C with 50 ⁇ l of CARDS rDl domain diluted as follows: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 ⁇ g/well, in carbonate- bicarbonate buffer. Negative patient serum control was also included. The results show an optical density between 1.0 and 1.2 ⁇ SE for all six concentrations of rDl domain and an optical density of the negative control of 0.2 ⁇ SE or less for all concentrations of rD 1.
  • the samples were serially diluted 10 "1 to 10 "9 in PBS. PCR conditions were 95 0 C for five minutes; 94 0 C for one minute; 55 0 C for one minute; 72 0 C for one minute and 72 0 C for 10 minutes, for 30 cycles.
  • the amplification primer set was Primer 12a forward: (nts. 1197-1220; 24 bp) 5' gcttgttctggaataccaagagtg 3' (SEQ ID NO:23) and Primer 15a reverse: (nts. 1541-1564; 24 bp) 5' ccattctacccaatcccagctgta 3' (SEQ ID NO:26).
  • the product size of the amplicon was 368 base pairs.
  • Detection was by ethidium bromide staining or autoradiography with a 32 P- labeled probe.
  • the probe used to detect the amplicon by autoradiography was Primer 14a forward: (nts 1371-1429; 59 bp) 5' gctggtattggaggggttattactataccccacaattaagtggttggtcttatcagatg 3' (SEQ ID NO:25). Results of this study demonstrate that M. pneumoniae nucleic acid can be detected in the presence or absence of saliva and that one mycoplasma cell can be identified using this primer/probe set.
  • the entire cards sequence was amplified using forward primer 5'- tttttacatatgccaaatcctgtt-3' (primer 1, SEQ IDNO:12) and reverse primer 5'- gatcgcttttagcgaggatcctttaacg -3' (primer 2, SEQ ID NO:64), which producesNdel and BamHl (underlined) sites at 5' and 3' ends ofthe cards ORF, respectively. Both fragments were ligated into the pCR2.1 vector andtransformed into E. coli INVaF' cells for automated sequencing using M13 forward and reverse primers.
  • CARDS Oligonucleotide sequences within selected (above) nucleotide sequence.
  • Pri 1-16 Modified oligonucleotide sequence* to amplifythe cards sequence. * modified nucleotides are given in bold.
  • Complementary oligonucleotide sequence are given underneath the reverse primers (2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 and 15)
  • MPN372 458 aatgtccgtagtgcttgact 477 (SEQ ID NO:29) Pri-3 : 20 a IaItIgItIcIcIgItIaMgtIgIcItItMggcItl 1 (SEQ ID NO: 30) ttacaggcatcacgaaccga (SEQ ID NO: 31)
  • MPN372 469 tgcttgactagtagatgctgtt 490 (SEQ ID NO:32)
  • IMIM MMMMMMMI Pri-4 1 tgcttggctagtagatgctgtt 22 (SEQ ID NO:33)
  • MPN372 613 atgattgccaacaccagg 630 (SEQ ID NO: 34)
  • MPN372 610 accatgattgccaacacc 627 (SEQ ID NO: 37)
  • MPN372 722 cctgattgaagtccacctt 740 (SEQ ID NO: 39)
  • Pri-7 19 cctgattggagtccacctt 1 (SEQ ID NO:40) ggactaacctcaggtggaa (SEQ ID NO: 41)
  • MPN372 717 cgtgccctgattgaagtc 734 (SEQ ID NO: 42)
  • Pri-10 1 caaaagtggaaaatgacacc 20 (SEQ ID NO: 48)
  • MPN372 1192 aaatggcttgttctgaaatacc 1213 (SEQ ID NO: 49) MMIMMMMM MIMI
  • MPN372 1197 gcttgttctgaaataccaagagt 1219 (SEQ ID NO: 51) IMMMIII MMMMIMI
  • Pri-12 1 gcttgttctggaataccaagagt 23 (SEQ ID NO: 52)
  • MPN372 1368 taggctggtattgaaggggt 1387 (SEQ ID NO: 53) Pri-13: 20 taggctggtattggaggggt 1 (SEQ ID NO: 54) atccgaccataacctcccca (SEQ ID NO: 55)
  • MPN372 1374 ggtattgaaggggttattactataccccacaattaagtggttgatcttatcagatg 1429 M I N I M I I I I M I I I
  • Pri-15 21 tacagctgggattgggtagaa 1 (SEQ ID NO: 59) atgtcgaccctaacccatctt (SEQ ID NO: 60)
  • MPN372 1541 tacagctgggattgagtagaa 1561 (SEQ ID N ⁇ :61)
  • Pri-16 l tacagctgggattgggtagaa 21 (SEQ ID NO:62)
  • MPN372 1796 gatcgcttttagcgattaagctttaacg 1824 (SEQ ID NO:63)
  • Pri-2 28 gatcgcttttagcgaggatcctttaacg 1 (SEQ ID NO: 64) ctagcgaaaatcgctcctaggaaattgc (SEQ ID NO: 13)
  • M129/B9 represents the reference strain and Sl, L2, RJLl and JL are clinical isolates from patients in San Antonio and Dallas. All clinical isolates have the same mutation at nucleotide 1112 (T ⁇ G) from the
  • RJLl 1112 (T ⁇ G) and 1174 (T ⁇ C) .
  • Bolded gs shown were introduced by site directed mutagenesis in order to express CARDS protein in E. coli.
  • RJLl had one more additional change (comparing to JL) at aa position 392 Trp ⁇ Arg .
  • L2 had one more additional change (comparing to JL) at aa position 245 Asp ⁇ Gly .
  • DNA fragments were generated by digesting plasmid pCR-cards with Ndel and BamHl and ligated into pET19b to generate pET-cards.
  • the plasmid was transformed into competent E. coli BL21 (DE3) cells grown to a density of 2 X 10 cells/ml at 37 C in standard LB broth containing 100 ⁇ g/ml ampicillin (Sigma- Aldrich). Induction of recombinant protein synthesis was accomplished by addition of 100 ⁇ M of isopropyl thio ⁇ -galactopyranoside (Sigma- Aldrich), and bacteria were incubated for 3 h at 37 C under aeration at 220 rpm.
  • mice were immunized subcutaneously with 50-100 ⁇ g of recombinant total
  • CARDS protein suspended in complete Freund's adjuvant no peptides or truncated domains.
  • Domains expected to be expressed in E. coli using the above primers Overlapping amino acids within domains are indicated by underline.
  • the Dl PCR fragment (SEQ ID NO: 74) encoding the cards first 249 amino acids (SEQ ID NO: 69) was cloned into the E. coli His'°-tagged expression vector, pET19b (Novagen), using Ndel and BamHl restriction sites incorporated into the oligonucleotide primers used to amplify this nucleic acid 5' tttttacatatgccaaatcctgttag 3' (SEQ ID NO:72) and 5' ggatcctctacgcaatgcatttgtctag 3' (SEQ ID NO:65).
  • a recombinant plasmid was used to transform E. coli strain BL21 ( ⁇ DE3). Transformants were grown to mid-log phase before inducing Dl expression by addition of IPTG to a final concentration of 1 mM. After four hours, cells were harvested by centrifugation at 800Og for 15 minutes at 4 0 C and the pellet was resuspended in 50 mM phosphate buffer ph 8.0, containing 300 mM NaCl, 10 mM imidazole and complete, EDTA-free protease inhibitor (Sigma).
  • Fractions containing purified protein were desalted using PlO columns (Amersham Biosciences) with TG buffer (20 mM Tris-Cl, pH 7.4, 5% glycerol) and concentrated using YM- 10 (Amicon) membranes. Protein concentrations were estimated using a BCA protein assay kit (Pierce) and the protein was aliquoted and stored at -8O 0 C.
  • CARDS protein 40 ⁇ g/ml CARDS protein for 16 hours at 37 0 C.
  • Cells were washed and incubated with fresh medium at 37 0 C for four hours.
  • Cell free extracts (CFE) were prepared and assayed for ADP-ribosylation (CFE were incubated with 40 ⁇ g/ml CARDS protein for one hour with 0.1 ⁇ M [ 32 P]NAD in 10OmM Tris pH 7.5, 2OmM DTT).
  • the reaction mixture was precipitated with 10% TCA and proteins were resolved in a 4-15% gradient gel by SDS-PAGE and transferred to nitrocellulose membrane for autoradiography. As shown in the autoradiogram in Figure 2, the CARDS toxin exhibits ADP ribosylating activity.
  • CPE Cytopathogenic effects
  • Baboons Individual animals were instilled with active toxin or non-toxin diluent into the right lower lobe by direct endoscopic placement. Baseline lavages were obtained from the contralateral lobes of each animal and follow-up bilateral lavages were obtained 24 and 48 hours after the initial inoculation to investigate systemic effects. Subsequently, animals were sacrificed and airways evaluated in both groups by histochemistry and by assessment of inflammatory responses in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL).
  • BAL bronchoalveolar lavage
  • inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin 6 (IL-6)
  • IL-6 interleukin 6
  • Chemokines RANTES and IL-8 showed increases of 10 fold and 300 to 500 fold, respectively. No substantial stages in cytokine/chemokine profiles were observed in the negative control animal.
  • mice Individual animals were intranasally inoculated with CARDS toxin and monitored for changes in lung histopathology and BAL-associated inflammatory responses. Mice showed very striking peribronchiolar infiltration of lymphocytes, mononuclear cells and neutrophils. As in the case of baboons, marked lung injury was observed in the lungs and other airway tissues. The proliferation marker, MIB-I, was markedly reduced in CARDS toxin-treated mice, indicating a very powerful shut down of cell proliferation in contrast to non-toxin treated control animals. For example, IL-6 and IL- 12 increased within the first six days of intranasal introduction of CARDS toxin by 8 fold and 20 fold, respectively. CARDS toxin can mimic the course of active mycoplasma infection both in terms of cytopathology and cytokine/chemokine responses.
  • the present invention provides a chimeric protein or polypeptide comprising, consisting essentially of and/or consisting of a CARDS toxin or biologically active fragment or domain thereof and a ligand for contacting the CARDS toxin or biologically active fragment or domain thereof with a target cell.
  • a nucleic acid molecule that encodes a chimeric protein of this invention, as well as a vector and/or cell comprising the nucleic acid molecule.
  • a biologically active fragment of the CARDS toxin can be a fragment as described herein that retains one or more biological activities of the CARDS toxin, such as toxin activity.
  • a biologically active fragment of this invention can also be a domain of the CARDS toxin, as described herein.
  • the chimeric protein can comprise a "toxin domain," which is a protein or functional fragment thereof that has toxic activity (e.g., ADP-ribosylating activity) and/or cytopathology inducing activity) on a cell as described herein.
  • the chimeric protein of this invention can comprise a toxin domain of another toxin, which can be, but is not limited to a toxin domain of diphtheria toxin, ricin, Pseudomonas exotoxin, colicin, anthrax toxin, tetanus toxin, botulinum toxin, saporin, abrin, bryodin, pokeweed anti-viral protein, viscumin and gelonin.
  • another toxin which can be, but is not limited to a toxin domain of diphtheria toxin, ricin, Pseudomonas exotoxin, colicin, anthrax toxin, tetanus toxin, botulinum toxin, saporin, abrin, bryodin, pokeweed anti-viral protein, viscumin and gelonin.
  • a chimeric protein of this invention can comprise more than one (e.g., e, 3, 4, 5, or more) toxin domains or functional fragments thereof, which can be present in any order and/or in any combination in the chimeric protein.
  • toxin domains When multiple toxin domains are present, they can be immediately adjacent to one another, separated by one or more targeting moieties (antibody/ligand) and/or translocation domains, and/or separated by linkers.
  • the moieties of the chimeric protein of this invention can be present in any order, multiplicity and/or combination relative to one another.
  • the chimeric proteins of this invention can also be modified by use in vivo by the addition of a blocking agent at the amino and/or carboxy-terminal end, to facilitate survival of the chimeric protein in vivo.
  • blocking agents of this invention include, but are not limited to, additional related and/or unrelated peptide sequences that can be attached to either end of the chimeric protein. Blocking can be carried out either chemically during synthesis of the chimeric protein of by recombinant DNA technology according to protocols well known in the art.
  • the ligand moiety of the chimeric protein of this invention can be an antibody that specifically reacts with an antigen on a cell surface, such that the antibody will bind to the surface of a cell possessing the antigen (a target cell), thereby bringing the CARDS toxin moiety of the chimeric protein in contact with the cell.
  • the CARDS toxin moiety can be internalized by the target cell and the CARDS toxin or biologically active fragment thereof is active in the target cell, resulting in damage to and/or death of the target cell.
  • the ligand moiety of the chimeric protein can be an antibody to a cancer antigen, which can be an antigen that is present only on the surface of a cancer cell and/or it can be a cancer-associated antigen that is present on the surface of a cancer cell in an amount greater than the amount of antigen that would be present on the surface of a non-cancerous (e.g., normal) cell.
  • a cancer antigen can be an antigen that is present only on the surface of a cancer cell and/or it can be a cancer-associated antigen that is present on the surface of a cancer cell in an amount greater than the amount of antigen that would be present on the surface of a non-cancerous (e.g., normal) cell.
  • a cancer antigen of this invention can include, but is not limited to HER2/neu and BRCAl antigens for breast cancer, MART-1/MelanA, gplOO, tyrosinase, TRP-I, TRP-2, NY-ESO-I, CDK-4, ⁇ -catenin, MUM-I, Caspase-8, KIAA0205, HPVE7, SART-I, PRAME, and pi 5 antigens, members of the MAGE family, the BAGE family (such as BAGE- 1 ), the D AGE/PRAME family (such as DAGE- 1 ), the GAGE family, the RAGE family (such as RAGE-I), the SMAGE family, NAG, TAG-72, CA125, mutated proto-oncogenes such as p21ras, mutated tumor suppressor genes such as p53, tumor associated viral antigens (e.g., HPVl 6 E7), the SSX family, HOM-MEL-55, NY
  • MAGE-I MAGE-I
  • MAGE-2 MAGE-3
  • MAGE-4 MAGE-11
  • GAGE- 1 GAGE-6. See, e.g., review by Van den Eynde and van der Bruggen (1997) in Curr. Opin. Immunol. 9: 684-693, Sahin et al. (1997) in Curr. Opin. Immunol. 9: 709-716, and Shawler et al. (1997), the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein for their teachings of cancer antigens.
  • the cancer antigen can also be, but is not limited to, human epithelial cell mucin (Muc-1; a 20 amino acid core repeat for Muc-1 glycoprotein, present on breast cancer cells and pancreatic cancer cells), MUC-2, MUC-3, MUC-18, the Ha-ras oncogene product, carcino-embrypnic antigen (CEA), the raf oncogene product, CA- 125, GD2, GD3, GM2, TF, sTn, gp75, EBV-LMP 1 & 2, HPV-F4, 6, 7, prostatic serum antigen (PSA), prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA),prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA), alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), COl 7-1 A, GA733, gp72, p53, the ras oncogene product, ⁇ -HCG, gp43 , HSP-70 , p 17 mel, HSP-70, gp43 , HMW,
  • the cancer antigen of this invention can also be an antibody produced by a B cell tumor (e.g., B cell lymphoma; B cell leukemia; myeloma; hairy cell leukemia), a fragment of such an antibody, which contains an epitope of the idiotype of the antibody, a malignant B cell antigen receptor, a malignant B cell immunoglobulin idiotype, a variable region of an immunoglobulin, a hypervariable region or complementarity determining region (CDR) of a variable region of an immunoglobulin, a malignant T cell receptor (TCR), a variable region of a TCR and/or a hypervariable region of a TCR.
  • the cancer antigen of this invention can be a single chain antibody (scFv), comprising linked V H , and V L domains, which retains the conformation and specific binding activity
  • the present invention is in no way limited to the cancer antigens listed herein.
  • Other cancer antigens be identified, isolated and cloned by methods known in the art such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,514,506, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.
  • the present invention further provides a method for treating cancer, a method for killing a tumor cell and/or a method for reducing the size of a tumor in a subject, comprising administering to the subject and/or contacting cancer cells (e.g., tumor cells) of the subject with a chimeric protein of this invention and/or a nucleic acid encoding a chimeric polypeptide of this invention.
  • cancer cells e.g., tumor cells
  • the cancer to be treated by administration to a subject of a chimeric polypeptide and/or nucleic acid encoding a chimeric polypeptide of this invention can be, but is not limited to, B cell lymphoma, T cell lymphoma, myeloma, leukemia, hematopoietic neoplasia, thymoma, lymphoma, sarcoma, lung cancer, liver cancer, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, Hodgkins lymphoma, adrenal cancer, anal cancer, colorectal cancer, endometrial cancer, esophygeal cancer, fallopian tube cancer, gallbladder cancer, gastric cancer, glioblastoma, kidney cancer, laryngeal cancer, medulloblastoma, mesothelioma, neuroblastoma, oropharyngeal cancer, osteosarcoma, parathyroid cancer, thyroid cancer, penile cancer, pituitary cancer,
  • the ligand of this invention can be a ligand that specifically binds a receptor on a muscle cell, which can include, but is not limited to, an antibody reactive to N-CAM (neuronal cell adhesion molecule) (Sigma Chemical Company, St. Louis, Mo.), an antibody reactive with the muscle-specific antigen, Leu- 19, an antibody reactive with dystrophin (Sigma) and an antibody reactive with a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAchR).
  • N-CAM neurovascular cell adhesion molecule
  • nAchR nicotinic acetylcholine receptor
  • the nAch receptor and antibodies generated thereto are readily available from publicly accessible depositories. (See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,192,684, ATCC Nos.: HB 8987 (mAb 64), HB 189 (mAb 270), and TIB 175 (mAb 35), all of which are incorporated herein by reference.)
  • the present invention also provides methods of treating a muscle spasm, (e.g., a focal muscle spasm; a facial wrinkle), comprising contacting a muscle cell of the muscle in spasm with a chimeric protein of this invention.
  • a muscle spasm e.g., a focal muscle spasm; a facial wrinkle
  • Such methods can be used, for example, to treat blepharospasm, cervical dystonia, hand dystonia, limb dystonia, hemifacial spasm, bruxism, strabismus, VI nerve palsy, spasmodic dysphonia and/or oromandibular dystonia, as well as any other disease or disorder associated with muscle spasm that is now known or later identified.
  • a method of treating a muscle spasm according to this invention can include, for example, administering (e.g., by intramuscular injection) an effective amount of the chimeric polypeptide and/or nucleic acid encoding the chimeric polypeptide of this invention to the muscle of a subject.
  • the chimeric polypeptide and/or nucleic acid of this invention can also be administered with an effective amount of botulinum toxin, either alone and/or as part of a chimeric polypeptide and/or encoded by a nucleic acid molecule.
  • a "muscle spasm” includes a brief, unsustained contraction and/or a paroxysmal, spontaneous, prolonged contraction of one or more muscles, which are responsive to treatment involving selective destruction of one or more muscles at the site of the muscle spasm.
  • the production of any type of antibody and/or antibody fragment can be carried out according to well developed in the art.
  • a humanized or “chimeric” antibody is an immunoglobulin molecule comprising a human moiety and a non-human moiety, in any combination.
  • variable region of a humanized immunoglobulin molecule can be from a non-human (e.g., murine) source and the constant region can be from a human source.
  • the humanized antibody can have the antigen-binding specificity of the non- human source and the effector function of the human source (see, e.g. U.S. Patent No. 5,482,856, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein). Protocols for the production of human antibodies are well known (see, e.g., U.S. Patent No. 5, 001, 065, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein).
  • the chimeric protein of this invention can comprise a translocation or internalization domain of a toxin protein, e.g., to facilitate delivery of the toxin moiety into the target cell
  • the translocation domain can be from the CARDS toxin described herein and/or the domain can be from any other toxin that has a translocation domain.
  • toxins include but are not limited to diphtheria toxin, colicin, delta-endotoxin, anthrax toxin, tetanus toxin, botulinum toxin and Pseudomonas exotoxin.
  • the chimeric proteins of this invention are produced by methods well known in the art.
  • an antibody or ligand that allows for specific targeting of the CARDS toxin to a specific cell type or population can be selected according to art- known procedures for the specific therapeutic effect desired.
  • the antibody or ligand can be joined via a covalent or non-covalent bond to a CARDS toxin and/or biologically active fragment thereof as described herein.
  • the moieties can be attached, j oined or connected by any of a number of means well known to those of skill in the art.
  • the chimeric protein of the present invention can be recombinantly expressed as a single-chain fusion protein comprising both antibody and toxin according to methods well known in the art.
  • the toxin moiety can be joined, linked or conjugated directly, or through a linker (spacer), to the ligand.
  • a "linker” as used herein, is a molecule that is used to join two molecules. The linker is capable of forming covalent bonds or high-affinity non-covalent bonds to both molecules. Suitable linkers are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art and include, but are not limited to, straight or branched-chain carbon linkers, heterocyclic carbon linkers and/or peptide linkers. The linkers can be joined to the constituent amino acids through their side groups (e.g., through a disulfide linkage to cysteine).
  • the procedure for attaching a toxin to an antibody or other polypeptide targeting molecule can vary according to the chemical structure of the toxin.
  • Immunoglobulin molecules contain a variety of functional groups; e.g., sulfhydryl (--S), carboxylic acid (COOH) and free amine (NH 2 ) groups, which are available for reaction with a suitable functional group on a toxin.
  • the antibody/ligand and/or toxin can be derivatized to expose or attach additional reactive functional groups.
  • the derivatization can involve attachment of any of a number of linker molecules (including commercially available linker molecules, e.g., from Pierce Chemical Company, Rockford 111).
  • a bifunctional linker having one functional group reactive with a group on the toxin and another functional group reactive with a group on an antibody/ligand can be used.
  • Derivatization can also involve chemical treatment of the toxin or antibody/ligand (e.g., by glycol cleavage of the sugar moiety of a glycoprotein antibody with periodate to generate free aldehyde groups).
  • the free aldehyde groups on an antibody can be reacted with free amine or hydrazine groups on a toxin to form the chimeric protein (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,671,958. the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein).
  • Procedures for generation of free sulfhydryl groups on an antibody or antibody fragment are also known (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,659,839).
  • Many procedures and linker molecules for attachment of various compounds including toxins are known. See, for example, European Patent Application No. 188,256; U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,671,958, 4,659,839, 4,414,148, 4,699,784; 4,680,338; 4,569,789; 4,589,071; and Borlinghaus et al. Cancer Res. 47: 4071-4075 (1987), which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
  • the linker molecule is m-Malimidobenzoyl-N-hydroxysuccinimideester (MBS) which can be used to prepare chimeric proteins as described, for example, in Youle and Nevelle. Proc. Natl. Acad. ScL 77(9):5483-5486 (1980).
  • MFS m-Malimidobenzoyl-N-hydroxysuccinimideester
  • Cleavage of the linkage to release the toxin from the antibody/ligand can be facilitated by enzymatic activity and/or conditions to which the immunoconjugate is subjected either inside the target cell or in the vicinity of the target site.
  • cleavable linkers are known in the art (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,618,492; 4,542,225, and 4,625,014, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein).
  • SPDP is a reversible NHS-ester, pyridyl disulfide cross- linker used to conjugate amine-containing molecules to sulfhydryls.
  • Another chemical modification reagent is 2-iminothiolane, which reacts with amines and yields a sulfhydryl.
  • Water soluble SPDP analogs such as Sulfo-LC-SPDP (Pierce, Rockford, 111.) can also be used.
  • Sulfo-LC-SPDP Pieris, Rockford, 111.
  • SMPT is a reversible NHS-ester, pyridyl disulfide cross-linker developed to avoid cleavage in vivo prior to reaching the target cell or site.
  • the chimeric protein of this invention can also be produced according to standard protocols for recombinant DNA technology.
  • the chimeric proteins can be produced in any number of well-defined expression systems and purified according to act-known standards for in vivo administration.
  • a nucleic acid encoding the chimeric protein can be administered to a subject and/or to a cell of a subject of this invention and the chimeric protein can be produced in the cell or in the subject.
  • the chimeric proteins and nucleic acids encoding them can be administered in vivo or ex vivo.
  • the chimeric protein of this invention can be present in a composition, which can be a pharmaceutical composition comprising the chimeric protein and/or nucleic acid molecule encoding a chimeric protein in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
  • pharmaceutically acceptable includes a material that is not biologically or otherwise undesirable, i.e., the material can be administered to an individual along with the chimeric polypeptide and/or nucleic acid without causing substantial deleterious biological effects or interacting in a deleterious manner in the subject and/or with any of the other components of the composition in which it is contained.
  • the dose of the chimeric protein and/or nucleic acid encoding the chimeric protein will depend upon the properties of the particular chimeric polypeptide employed, e.g., its activity and biological half-life, the concentration of chimeric polypeptide in the formulation, the site and rate of administration, the clinical tolerance and characteristics (e.g., sex, gender, species, age, size, weight, overall condition) of the patient involved, the nature and severity of the disease or disorder to be treated or altered, etc., as are well know considerations in the art.
  • chimeric protein and/or nucleic acid encoding the chimeric protein of this invention can be administered to a subject in a variety of ways (e.g., orally, intravenously, subcutaneously, intramuscularly, intratumorally, intraperitoneally, intrarectally, intravaginally, intranasally, intragastrically, intratrachaeally and/or intrapulmonarily.
  • ways e.g., orally, intravenously, subcutaneously, intramuscularly, intratumorally, intraperitoneally, intrarectally, intravaginally, intranasally, intragastrically, intratrachaeally and/or intrapulmonarily.
  • the chimeric polypeptide of this invention can be administered to a subject by, e.g., injection, into a muscle or into a tumor, in an amount ranging from about 1 ng to about 500 mg.
  • An effective amount can be determined by one of skill in the art, using art-known teachings such as those provided in MacDonald and Glover ("Effective tumor targeting: Strategies for delivery of armed antibodies” Current Opinion in Drug Discovery and Development 8 : 177- 183 (2005) and Michl and Gress ("Bacteria and bacterial toxins as therapeutic agents for solid tumors" Current Cancer Drug Targets 4:689-702 (2004).
  • the chimeric protein can be administered at the site of the neuromuscular junctions of the muscle to be treated.
  • the chimeric proteins of the present invention can be administered alone, in combination, and/or in conjunction with a conjugated and/or an unconjugated form of a different toxin (e.g., botulinum toxin).
  • the chimeric protein and/or nucleic acid can be administered once or it can be admim ' stered periodically until either a therapeutic result is achieved or until side effects warrant discontinuation of therapy.
  • the dose should be sufficient to treat or ameliorate known symptoms or signs (e.g., release of muscle spasm; decrease in tumor size or reduction in tumor cell count) without producing unacceptable toxicity to the subject.
  • An effective amount is an amount that provides either subjective relief of at least one symptom and/or an objectively identifiable improvement as noted by the clinician or other qualified observer.
  • the chimeric protein and/or nucleic acid can also be administered via microspheres, liposomes or other microparticulate delivery systems placed in certain tissues, including blood.
  • testing of any of the chimeric proteins and nucleic acids encoding chimeric proteins of this invention for cytotoxicity both in vitro and in vivo can be carried out according to protocols well described in the art.
  • methods of determining cytotoxicity of a chimeric protein of this invention used to treat muscle spasms are described in U.S. Patent No. 6,780,413, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.
  • Methods of determining the cytotoxicity of a chimeric protein of this invention used to treat cancer and/or to kill tumor cells are described in U.S. Patent No. 6,846,484, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.

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Abstract

L'invention concerne une toxine du syndrome respiratoire aigu sévère acquis, appartenant à la communauté des Mycoplasma pneumoniae (CARDS), des fragments/domaines actifs au plan biologique de la toxine CARDS, des anticorps dirigés contre la toxine CARD, des protéines de fusion thérapeutiques comprenant la toxine CARDS et/ou les fragments/domaines actifs de la toxine CARDS et des acides nucléiques codant pour la toxine CARDS et les protéines de fusion. L'invention porte également sur des procédés de traitement et/ou de prévention de maladies et de troubles au moyen des compositions de l'invention.
PCT/US2005/011897 2005-04-07 2005-04-07 Methodes et compositions pour les exotoxines mycoplasma pneumoniae Ceased WO2006110132A1 (fr)

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