U.S. patent application number 12/061676 was filed with the patent office on 2008-09-11 for canine specific growth hormone releasing hormone.
This patent application is currently assigned to VGX PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.. Invention is credited to Ruxandra Draghia-Akli.
Application Number | 20080221034 12/061676 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34193122 |
Filed Date | 2008-09-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080221034 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Draghia-Akli; Ruxandra |
September 11, 2008 |
CANINE SPECIFIC GROWTH HORMONE RELEASING HORMONE
Abstract
A composition and a method of increasing growth hormone ("GH")
values in a canine or dog, and more specifically, a canine- or
dog-specific growth hormone releasing hormone ("dGHRH"), or
functional biological equivalent thereof. The dGHRH is an isolated
composition or a nucleic acid molecule that encodes the dGHRH or
functional biological equivalent. Also, a method for delivering the
composition of this invention to a subject, wherein the dGHRH
increases the level of growth hormone ("GH") secretion in a
recipient subject, such as a canine or dog.
Inventors: |
Draghia-Akli; Ruxandra; (The
Woodlands, TX) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Pepper Hamilton LLP
400 Berwyn Park, 899 Cassatt Road
Berwyn
PA
19312-1183
US
|
Assignee: |
VGX PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
Blue Bell
PA
|
Family ID: |
34193122 |
Appl. No.: |
12/061676 |
Filed: |
April 3, 2008 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10894644 |
Jul 20, 2004 |
7361642 |
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12061676 |
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60492427 |
Aug 4, 2003 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
514/1.1 ;
514/44R; 514/6.9; 530/399; 536/23.51 |
Current CPC
Class: |
C07K 14/60 20130101;
A61K 48/00 20130101; A61P 7/00 20180101 |
Class at
Publication: |
514/12 ;
536/23.51; 514/44; 530/399 |
International
Class: |
A61K 38/22 20060101
A61K038/22; C07H 21/00 20060101 C07H021/00; C07K 14/575 20060101
C07K014/575; A61P 7/00 20060101 A61P007/00; A61K 31/7088 20060101
A61K031/7088 |
Claims
1. A composition comprising a nucleic acid expression construct
encoding a canine specific growth hormone releasing hormone
("dGHRH") or fragments thereof, having a sequence at least 95%
identical to SEQ ID NO:4: TABLE-US-00007
X.sub.1X.sub.2DAIFTNSYRKVLX.sub.3QLSARKLLQDIX.sub.4X.sub.5RQQGERNREQGA
wherein: X1 is a D- or L-isomer of an amino acid selected from the
group consisting of tyrosine ("Y"), or histidine ("H"); X.sub.2 is
a D- or L-isomer of an amino acid selected from the group
consisting of alanine ("A"), valine ("V"), or isoleucine ("I");
X.sub.3 is a D- or L-isomer of an amino acid selected from the
group consisting of alanine ("A") or glycine ("G"); X.sub.4 is a D-
or L-isomer of an amino acid selected from the group consisting of
methionine ("M"), or leucine ("L"); X.sub.5 is a D- or L-isomer of
an amino acid selected from the group consisting of serine ("S") or
asparagines ("N").
2. The composition of claim 1, wherein the dGHRH increases growth
hormone ("GH") in a recipient subject.
3. The composition of claim 1, wherein the dGHRH improves
hematological parameters in a recipient subject.
4. The composition of claim 1, wherein the dGHRH increases red
blood cell values in a recipient subject.
5. The composition of claim 1, wherein the dGHRH increases
hemoglobin values in a recipient subject.
6. The composition of claim 1, wherein the dGHRH increases mean
corpuscular hemoglobin values in a recipient subject.
7. The composition of claim 1, wherein the nucleic acid expression
construct further comprises: (a) a synthetic or eukaryotic
promoter; (b) a poly-adenylation signal; (c) a selectable marker
gene promoter; (d) a ribosomal binding site; (e) a selectable
marker gene sequence; and (f) an origin of replication; wherein,
the synthetic or eukaryotic promoter, the nucleic acid sequence
encoding the dGHRH or functional biological equivalent thereof, and
the poly adenylation signal comprise therapeutic elements of the
nucleic acid expression construct; the therapeutic elements are
operatively linked and located in a first operatively-linked
arrangement; the selectable marker gene promoter, the ribosomal
binding site, the selectable marker gene sequence, and the origin
of replication comprise replication elements of the nucleic acid
expression construct; the replication elements are operatively
linked and located in a second operatively-linked arrangement; the
first-operatively-linked arrangement and the
second-operatively-linked arrangement comprise a circular structure
of the nucleic acid expression construct; and the nucleic acid
expression construct is utilized for plasmid mediated gene
supplementation.
8. The composition of claim 7, further comprising a 5' untranslated
region ("UTR") operatively linked to the first operatively-linked
arrangement.
9. The composition of claim 7, wherein the 3' untranslated region
("UTR") comprises a portion of a human growth hormone 3'UTR.
10. A nucleic acid expression construct pAV0221 comprising a
sequence at least 95% identical to SEQ ID D NO: 5.
11. A nucleic acid expression construct pAV00215 comprising a
sequence at least 95% identical to SEQ ID NO: 6.
12. A method of increasing growth hormone ("GH") values in a
subject comprising delivering to the subject an isolated
composition of canine specific growth hormone releasing hormone
("dGHRH") or fragments thereof, having a sequence at least 95%
identical to SEQ ID NO: 4: TABLE-US-00008
X.sub.1X.sub.2DAIFTNSYRKVLX.sub.3QLSARKLLQDIX.sub.4X.sub.5RQQGERNREQGA
wherein: X1 is a D- or L-isomer of an amino acid selected from the
group consisting of tyrosine ("Y"), or histidine ("H"); X2 is a D-
or L-isomer of an amino acid selected from the group consisting of
alanine ("A"), valine ("V"), or isoleucine ("I"); X3 is a D- or
L-isomer of an amino acid selected from the group consisting of
alanine ("A") or glycine ("G"); X4 is a D- or L-isomer of an amino
acid selected from the group consisting of methionine ("M"), or
leucine ("L"); X5 is a D- or L-isomer of an amino acid selected
from the group consisting of serine ("S") or asparagines ("N").
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the recombinant dGHRH is a
biologically active polypeptide, and the recombinant functional
biological equivalent of dGHRH is a polypeptide that has been
engineered to contain a distinct amino acid sequence while
simultaneously having similar or improved biologically activity
when compared to the dGHRH polypeptide.
14. The method of claim 12, wherein increasing hematological
parameters in the subject having the delivered recombinant dGHRH
nucleic acid expression construct reflects increasing GH
values.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the hematological parameter is
red blood cell count, hemoglobin concentration, or mean corpuscular
hemoglobin.
16. A method of increasing growth hormone ("GH") values in a
subject comprising: delivering into cells of the subject a nucleic
acid expression construct that encodes a canine specific
growth-hormone-releasing-hormone ("dGHRH") or fragments thereof,
having a sequence at least 95% identical to SEQ ID NO: 5:
TABLE-US-00009
X.sub.1X.sub.2DAIFTNSYRKVLX.sub.3QLSARKLLQDIX.sub.4X.sub.5RQQGERNREQGA
wherein: X1 is a D- or L-isomer of an amino acid selected from the
group consisting of tyrosine ("Y"), or histidine ("H"); X2 is a D-
or L-isomer of an amino acid selected from the group consisting of
alanine ("A"), valine ("V"), or isoleucine ("I"); X3 is a D- or
L-isomer of an amino acid selected from the group consisting of
alanine ("A") or glycine ("G"); X4 is a D- or L-isomer of an amino
acid selected from the group consisting of methionine ("M"), or
leucine ("L"); X5 is a D- or L-isomer of an amino acid selected
from the group consisting of serine ("S") or asparagines ("N").
17. The method of claim 16, wherein delivering into the cells of
the subject the nucleic acid expression construct is via
electroporation.
18. The method of claim 16, wherein the cells of the subject are
somatic cells, stem cells, or germ cells.
19. The method of claim 16, wherein the nucleic acid expression
construct is SEQ ID NO: 5 or SEQ ID NO: 6.
20. The method of claim 16, wherein the nucleic acid expression
construct further comprises a transfection-facilitating
polypeptide.
21. The method of claim 20, wherein the transfection-facilitating
polypeptide comprises a charged polypeptide.
22. The method of claim 20, wherein the transfection-facilitating
polypeptide comprises poly-L-glutamate.
23. The method of claim 16, wherein the dGHRH is expressed in
tissue-specific cells of the subject.
24. The method of claim 23, wherein the tissue specific cells of
the subject comprises muscle cells.
25. The method of claim 16, wherein increasing hematological
parameters in the subject having the delivered nucleic acid
expression construct reflects increasing GH values.
26. The method of claim 25, wherein the hematological parameter is
red blood cell count, hemoglobin concentration, or mean corpuscular
hemoglobin.
27. A composition comprising an isolated canine specific growth
hormone releasing hormone ("dGHRH") or fragments thereof, having a
sequence at least 95% identical to SEQ ID NO: 4: TABLE-US-00010
X.sub.1X.sub.2DAIFTNSYRKVLX.sub.3QLSARKLLQDIX.sub.4X.sub.5RQQGERNREQGA
wherein: X1 is a D- or L-isomer of an amino acid selected from the
group consisting of tyrosine ("Y"), or histidine ("H"); X.sub.2 is
a D- or L-isomer of an amino acid selected from the group
consisting of alanine ("A"), valine ("V"), or isoleucine ("I");
X.sub.3 is a D- or L-isomer of an amino acid selected from the
group consisting of alanine ("A") or glycine ("G"); X.sub.4 is a D-
or L-isomer of an amino acid selected from the group consisting of
methionine ("M"), or leucine ("L"); X.sub.5 is a D- or L-isomer of
an amino acid selected from the group consisting of serine ("S") or
asparagines ("N"); and the isolated dGHRH is a biologically active
polypeptide that has been engineered to contain a distinct amino
acid sequence.
28. The composition of claim 27, wherein the isolated dGHRH
increases growth hormone ("GH") in a recipient subject.
29. The composition of claim 27, wherein the isolated dGHRH
improves hematological parameters in a recipient subject.
30. The composition of claim 27, wherein the isolated dGHRH thereof
increases red blood cell values in a recipient subject.
31. The composition of claim 27, wherein the isolated dGHRH thereof
increases hemoglobin values in a recipient subject.
32. The composition of claim 27, wherein the isolated dGHRH
increases mean corpuscular hemoglobin values in a recipient
subject.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent
Application Ser. No. 60/492,427, entitled "Canine Specific Growth
Hormone Releasing Hormone," filed on Aug. 4, 2003, having
Draghia-Akli, listed as the inventor, the entire content of which
is hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] This invention pertains to an isolated composition and a
method of increasing growth hormone ("GH") values in a canine or
dog. More specifically, the invention pertains to a canine- or
dog-specific growth hormone releasing hormone ("dGHRH"), or
functional biological equivalent thereof. The dGHRH is an isolated
composition or a nucleic acid molecule that encodes the dGHRH or
functional biological equivalent. Another aspect of the current
invention includes a method for delivering the composition of this
invention to a subject, wherein the dGHRH increases the level of
growth hormone ("GH") secretion in a recipient subject, such as a
canine or dog.
[0003] In the United States, the companion canine population is
about 60 million. Although not wanting to be bound by theory, the
average lifespan for these canines has increased in recent decades
due to better nutrition, and better health care options. Even
though the average disease profile and lifespan of the canine
population are generally breed specific, there are common disease
related features and age related features that are present in most
mammals. For example, as mammals age, the GHRH-GH-IGF-I axis
undergoes considerable decrement, with reduced GH secretion and
IGF-I production associated with a loss of skeletal muscle mass
(sarcopenia), osteoporosis, increased fat deposition, decreased
lean body mass, and other disorders. Studies in humans and other
mammals have demonstrated that the development of these changes can
be offset by recombinant growth hormone ("GH") therapy. One benefit
of the claimed invention is observed when a dog specific growth
hormone releasing hormone ("dGHRH") composition is delivered to a
canine subject and the level of GH secretion in the canine subject
is increased. Another aspect of the current invention is the dGHRH
molecule or functional biological equivalent thereof. The
composition may also be a nucleic acid molecule that encodes the
dGHRH or functional biological equivalent thereof. The dGHRH can be
defined as a biologically active polypeptide that has been
engineered to contain a distinct amino acid sequence having similar
or improved biologically activity when compared to a generic GHRH
("GHRH") polypeptide. Other benefits from administering the dGHRH
compound to the canine subject are outlined in preferred
embodiments and include: increased insulin-like growth factor I
("IGF-I"), increased red blood cells production and hemoglobin
concentration, and improved protein metabolism.
[0004] In humans and other mammals, regulated expression of the GH
pathway is considered essential for optimal linear growth, as well
as homeostasis of carbohydrate, protein, and fat metabolism. GH
synthesis and its pulsatile secretion from the anterior pituitary
is stimulated by GHRH and inhibited by somatostatin, both
hypothalamic hormones (Frohman et al., 1992). GH increases
production of insulin-like growth factor-I ("IGF-I") primarily in
the liver, as well as other target organs. IGF-I and GH feedback on
the hypothalamus and pituitary to inhibit GHRH release and GH
secretion. The endogenous rhythm of GH secretion becomes entrained
to the imposed rhythm of exogenous GHRH (Caroni and Schneider,
1994).
[0005] Although not wanting to be bound by theory, the linear
growth velocity and body composition of humans, farm animals, and
companion animals appear to respond to GH or GHRH replacement
therapies under a broad spectrum of conditions. Similarly, anemia
associated with different diseases and conditions can be treated by
physiologically stimulating the GHRH axis (Draghia-Akli et al.,
2002a; Draghia-Akli et al., 2003a). However, the etiology of these
conditions can vary significantly. For example, in 50% of human GH
deficiencies the GHRH-GH-IGF-I axis is functionally intact, but
does not elicit the appropriate biological responses in its target
tissues. Similar phenotypes are produced by genetic defects at
different points along the GH axis (Parks et al., 1995), as well as
in non-GH-deficient short stature. In humans, these
non-GH-deficiency causes of short stature, such as Turner syndrome
(Butler et al., 1994), hypochondroplasia (Foncea et al., 1997),
Crohn's disease (Parrizas and LeRoith, 1997), intrauterine growth
retardation (Hoess and Abremski, 1985) or chronic renal
insufficiency (Lowe, Jr. et al., 1989) can be efficiently treated
with GHRH or GH therapy (Gesundheit and Alexander, 1995). In
companion animals, such as dogs, there is little or no available
therapy, and recombinant protein therapies have proved to be
inefficient (Kooistra et al., 1998; Kooistra et al., 2000; Rijnberk
et al., 1993).
[0006] In aging mammals, the GHRH-GH-IGF-I axis undergoes
considerable decrement having reduced GH secretion and IGF-I
production associated with a loss of skeletal muscle mass
(sarcopenia), osteoporosis, increased fat deposition and decreased
lean body mass (Caroni and Schneider, 1994; Veldhuis et al., 1997).
It has been demonstrated that the development of these changes can
be offset by recombinant GH therapy. GH replacement therapy both in
children and the elderly is widely used clinically. Current GH
therapy has several shortcomings, however, including frequent
subcutaneous or intravenous injections, insulin resistance and
impaired glucose tolerance (Rabinovsky et al., 1992); children are
also vulnerable to premature epiphyseal closure and slippage of the
capital femoral epiphysis (Liu and LeRoith, 1999). A "slow-release"
form of GH (from Genentech) has been developed that only requires
injections every 14 days. However, this GH product appears to
perturb the normal physiological pulsatile GH profile, and is also
associated with frequent side effects.
[0007] Various GH and GHRH regimens are also available for use in
domestic livestock. For example, administration of GHRH and GH
stimulate milk production, with an increase in feed to milk
conversion. This therapy enhances growth primarily by increasing
lean body mass (Lapierre et al., 1991; van Rooij et al., 2000) with
overall improvement in feed efficiency. Hot and chilled carcass
weights are increased and carcass lipid (percent of soft-tissue
mass) is decrease by administration of GHRH and GH (Etherton et
al., 1986).
[0008] Administering novel GHRH analog proteins (U.S. Pat. Nos.
5,847,066; 5,846,936; 5,792,747; 5,776,901; 5,696,089; 5,486,505;
5,137,872; 5,084,442, 5,036,045; 5,023,322; 4,839,344; 4,410,512,
RE33,699), synthetic or naturally occurring peptide fragments of
GHRH (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,833,166; 4,228,158; 4,228,156; 4,226,857;
4,224,316; 4,223,021; 4,223,020; 4,223,019) for the purpose of
increasing release of GH have been reported. A GHRH analog
containing the following mutations has been reported (U.S. Pat. No.
5,846,936): Tyr at position 1 to His; Ala at position 2 to Val,
Leu, or others; Asn at position 8 to Gln, Ser, or Thr; Gly at
position 15 to Ala or Leu; Met at position 27 to Nle or Leu; and
Ser at position 28 to Asn. The GHRH analog is the subject of U.S.
Pat. No. 6,551,996 ("the '996 patent"), issued on Apr. 22, 2003
having Schwartz et al., listed as inventors. The '996 patent
teaches application of a GHRH analog containing mutations that
improve the ability to elicit the release of GH. In addition, the
'996 patent relates to the treatment of growth deficiencies; the
improvement of growth performance; the stimulation of production of
GH in an animal at a greater level than that associated with normal
growth; and the enhancement of growth utilizing the administration
of GH releasing hormone analog and is herein incorporated by
reference.
[0009] Studies in humans, sheep or pigs showed that continuous
infusion with recombinant GHRH protein restores the normal GH
pattern without desensitizing GHRH receptors or depleting GH
supplies as this system is capable of feed-back regulation, which
is abolished in the GH therapies (Dubreuil et al., 1990; Vance,
1990; Vance et al., 1985). Although GHRH protein therapy stimulates
normal cyclical GH secretion with virtually no side effects (Corpas
et al., 1993), the short half-life of the molecule in vivo requires
frequent (e.g. one to three times per day) intravenous,
subcutaneous or intranasal administrations at about a 300-fold
higher dose. Thus, recombinant GHRH administration is not practical
as a chronic therapy. However, extracranially secreted GHRH, as a
mature or a truncated polypeptide, is often biologically active
(Thorner et al., 1984) and a low level of serum GHRH (100 pg/ml)
stimulates GH secretion (Corpas et al., 1993). These
characteristics make GHRH an excellent candidate for plasmid
mediated supplementation of a gene product.
[0010] Transgene Delivery and in vivo Expression: Although not
wanting to be bound by theory, the delivery of specific transgenes
to somatic tissue to correct inborn or acquired deficiencies and
imbalances is possible. Such transgene-based drug delivery offers a
number of advantages over the administration of recombinant
proteins. These advantages include: the conservation of native
protein structure; improved biological activity; avoidance of
systemic toxicities; and avoidance of infectious and toxic
impurities. Because the protein is synthesized and secreted
continuously into the circulation, plasmid mediated therapy allows
for prolonged production of the protein in a therapeutic range. In
contrast, the primary limitation of using recombinant protein is
the limited availability of protein after each administration.
[0011] In a plasmid-based expression system, a non-viral transgene
vector may comprise of a synthetic transgene delivery system in
addition to the nucleic acid encoding the therapeutic genetic
product. In this way, the risks associated with the use of most
viral vectors can be avoided, including the expression of viral
proteins that can induce immune responses against target tissues
and the possibility of DNA mutations or activations of oncogenes.
The non-viral expression vector products generally have low
toxicity due to the use of "species-specific" components for gene
delivery, which minimizes the risks of immunogenicity generally
associated with viral vectors. Additionally, no integration of
plasmid sequences into host chromosomes has been reported in vivo
to date, so that this type of nucleic acid vector therapy should
neither activate oncogenes nor inactivate tumor suppressor genes.
As episomal systems residing outside the chromosomes, plasmids have
defined pharmacokinetics and elimination profiles, leading to a
finite duration of gene expression in target tissues.
[0012] Direct plasmid DNA gene transfer is currently the basis of
many emerging nucleic acid therapy strategies and does not require
viral components or lipid particles (Aihara and Miyazaki, 1998;
Muramatsu et al., 2001). Skeletal muscle is target tissue, because
muscle fiber has a long life span and can be transduced by circular
DNA plasmids that are expressed in immunocompetent hosts (Davis et
al., 1993; Tripathy et al., 1996). Plasmid DNA constructs are
attractive candidates for direct therapy into the subjects skeletal
muscle because the constructs are well-defined entities that are
biochemically stable and have been used successfully for many years
(Acsadi et al., 1991; Wolff et al., 1990). The relatively low
expression levels of an encoded product that are achieved after
direct plasmid DNA injection are sometimes sufficient to indicate
bio-activity of secreted peptides (Danko and Wolff, 1994; Tsurumi
et al., 1996). Previous reports demonstrated that human GHRH cDNA
could be delivered to muscle by an injectable myogenic expression
vector in mice where it transiently stimulated GH secretion to a
modest extent over a period of two weeks (Draghia-Akli et al.,
1997).
[0013] Efforts have been made to enhance the delivery of plasmid
DNA to cells by physical means including electroporation,
sonoporation, and pressure. Although not wanting to be bound by
theory, the administration of a nucleic acid construct by
electroporation involves the application of a pulsed electric field
to create transient pores in the cellular membrane without causing
permanent damage to the cell, which allows exogenous molecules to
enter the cell (Smith and Nordstrom, 2000). By adjusting the
electrical pulse generated by an electroporetic system, nucleic
acid molecules can travel through passageways or pores in the cell
that are created during the procedure. U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,908
describes an electroporation apparatus for delivering molecules to
cells at a selected location within a cavity in the body of a
patient. Similar pulse voltage injection devices are also described
in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,439,440 and 5,702,304, and PCT WO 96/12520,
96/12006, 95/19805, and 97/07826, which are hereby incorporated by
reference.
[0014] Recently, significant progress to enhance plasmid delivery
in vivo and subsequently to achieve physiological levels of a
secreted protein was obtained using the electroporation technique.
Electroporation has been used very successfully to transfect tumor
cells after injection of plasmid (Lucas et al., 2002; Matsubara et
al., 2001)) or to deliver the anti-tumor drug bleomycin to
cutaneous and subcutaneous tumors in humans (Gehl et al., 1998;
Heller et al., 1996). Electroporation also has been extensively
used in mice (Lesbordes et al., 2002; Lucas et al., 2001; Vilquin
et al., 2001), rats (Terada et al., 2001; Yasui et al., 2001), and
dogs (Fewell et al., 2001) to deliver therapeutic genes that encode
for a variety of hormones, cytokines or enzymes. Previous studies
using GHRH showed that plasmid therapy with electroporation is
scalable and represents a promising approach to induce production
and regulated secretion of proteins in large animals and humans
(Draghia-Akli et al., 1999; Draghia-Akli et al., 2002c).
Electroporation also has been extensively used in rodents and other
small animals (Bettan et al, 2000; Yin and Tang, 2001). It has been
observed that the electrode configuration affects the electric
field distribution, and subsequent results (Gehl et al., 1999;
Miklavcic et al., 1998). Although not wanting to be bound by
theory, needle electrodes give consistently better results than
external caliper electrodes in a large animal model.
[0015] The ability of electroporation to enhance plasmid uptake
into the skeletal muscle has been well documented. Similarly,
plasmids formulated with poly-L-glutamate ("PLG") or
polyvinylpyrrolidone ("PVP") were observed to have an increase in
plasmid transfection, which consequently increased the expression
of a desired transgene. For example, plasmids formulated with PLG
or PVP were observed to increase gene expression to up to 10 fold
in the skeletal muscle of mice, rats, and dogs (Fewell et al.,
2001; Mumper et al., 1998). Although not wanting to be bound by
theory, the anionic polymer sodium PLG enhances plasmid uptake at
low plasmid concentrations and reduces any possible tissue damage
caused by the procedure. PLG is a stable compound and it is
resistant to relatively high temperatures (Dolnik et al., 1993).
PLG has been used to increase stability of anti-cancer drugs (Li et
al., 2000) and as "glue" to close wounds or to prevent bleeding
from tissues during wound and tissue repair (Otani et al., 1996;
Otani et al., 1998). PLG has been used to increase stability in
vaccine preparations (Matsuo et al., 1994) without increasing their
immunogenicity. PLG also has been used as an anti-toxin after
antigen inhalation or exposure to ozone (Fryer and Jacoby,
1993).
[0016] Although not wanting to be bound by theory, PLG increases
the transfection of the plasmid during the electroporation process,
not only by stabilizing the plasmid DNA and facilitating the
intracellular transport through the membrane pores, but also
through an active mechanism. For example, positively charged
surface proteins on the cells could complex the negatively charged
PLG linked to plasmid DNA through protein-protein interactions.
When an electric field is applied, the surface proteins reverse
direction and actively internalize the DNA molecules, a process
that substantially increases the transfection efficiency.
Furthermore, PLG will prevent the muscle damage associated with in
vivo plasmid delivery (Draghia-Akli et al., 2002b) and will
increase plasmid stability in vitro prior to injection. There are
studies directed to electroporation of eukaryotic cells with linear
DNA (McNally et al., 1988; Neumann et al., 1982) (Toneguzzo et al.,
1988) (Aratani et al., 1992; Nairn et al., 1993; Xie and Tsong,
1993; Yorifuji and Mikawa, 1990), but these examples illustrate
transfection into cell suspensions, cell cultures, and the like,
and such transfected cells are not present in a somatic tissue.
[0017] U.S. Pat. No. 4,956,288 is directed to methods for preparing
recombinant host cells containing high copy number of a foreign DNA
by electroporating a population of cells in the presence of the
foreign DNA, culturing the cells, and killing the cells having a
low copy number of the foreign DNA.
[0018] Although not wanting to be bound by theory, a GHRH cDNA can
be delivered to muscle of mice and humans by an injectable myogenic
expression vector where it can transiently stimulate GH secretion
over a period of two weeks (Draghia-Akli et al., 1997). This
injectable vector system was optimized by incorporating a powerful
synthetic muscle promoter (Li et al., 1999) coupled with a novel
protease-resistant GHRH molecule with a substantially longer
half-life and greater GH secretory activity (pSP-HV-GHRH)
(Draghia-Akli et al., 1999). Highly efficient electroporation
technology was optimized to deliver the nucleic acid construct to
the skeletal muscle of an animal (Draghia-Akli et al., 2002b).
Using this combination of vector design and electric pulses plasmid
delivery method, the inventors were able to show increased growth
and favorably modified body composition in pigs (Draghia-Akli et
al., 1999; Draghia-Akli et al., 2003b) and rodents (Draghia-Akli et
al., 2002c). The modified GHRH nucleic acid constructs increased
red blood cell production in companion animals with cancer and
cancer treatment-associated anemia (Draghia-Akli et al., 2002a). In
pigs, available data suggested that the modified porcine HV-GHRH
was more potent in promoting growth and positive body composition
changes than the wild-type porcine GHRH (Draghia-Akli et al.,
1999). One aspect of the current invention describes a
species-specific dGHRH expression vector that comprises a more
efficient composition to increase red blood cell production in a
canine subject than the protease resistant HV-GHRH molecule.
SUMMARY
[0019] Although the average disease profile and lifespan of the
canine population are generally breed specific, there are common
disease related features and age related features that are present
in most mammals. Studies in mammals have demonstrated that the
development of hematological changes can be offset by recombinant
growth hormone ("GH") therapy. The current invention comprises
compositions and methods for increasing GH values in canines.
[0020] One aspect of the current invention comprises a canine or
dog specific growth hormone releasing hormone ("dGHRH") or
functional biological equivalent thereof. In one specific
embodiment, the dGHRH or functional biological equivalent increases
growth hormone ("GH") when delivered into a subject. The delivered
dGHRH or functional biological equivalent thereof improves
hematological parameters in the subject, wherein the hematological
parameters comprise: red blood cell count, hemoglobin
concentration, and mean corpuscular hemoglobin.
[0021] Another aspect of the current invention comprises a nucleic
acid expression construct encoding the dGHRH or functional
biological equivalent thereof. In a second specific embodiment, the
dGHRH or functional biological equivalent increases GH when
expressed in the subject. The expressed dGHRH or functional
biological equivalent thereof improves hematological parameters in
the subject, wherein the hematological parameters comprise: red
blood cell count, hemoglobin concentration, and mean corpuscular
hemoglobin. In a third specific embodiment, the nucleic acid
expression construct further comprises: a synthetic or eukaryotic
promoter; a poly-adenylation signal; a selectable marker gene
promoter; a ribosomal binding site; a selectable marker gene
sequence; and an origin of replication. In such an arrangement, the
synthetic or eukaryotic promoter, the nucleic acid sequence
encoding the dGHRH or functional biological equivalent thereof, and
the poly adenylation signal comprise therapeutic elements of the
nucleic acid expression construct. The therapeutic elements are
operatively linked and located in a first operatively-linked
arrangement. Similarly, the selectable marker gene promoter, the
ribosomal binding site, the selectable marker gene sequence, and
the origin of replication comprise the replication elements of the
nucleic acid expression vector and are operatively linked and
located in a second operatively-linked arrangement. The
first-operatively-linked arrangement and the
second-operatively-linked arrangement comprise a circular structure
of the nucleic acid expression construct, which is utilized for
plasmid mediated gene supplementation. Examples of dGHRH nucleic
acid expression constructs of this invention include plasmids
pAV0221 and pAV00215.
[0022] Still another aspect of the current invention is a method of
increasing GH values in a subject. The method comprises delivering
into the subject a recombinant dGHRH or functional biological
equivalent thereof. The recombinant dGHRH comprises a biologically
active polypeptide, and the recombinant functional biological
equivalent of dGHRH comprises a polypeptide that has been
engineered to contain a distinct amino acid sequence while
simultaneously having similar or improved biologically activity
when compared to the dGHRH polypeptide. The increasing GH values
are related by increasing hematological parameters in the subject
having the delivered recombinant dGHRH or functional biological
equivalent thereof.
[0023] Yet another aspect of the current invention is a method of
increasing GH values in a subject. The method comprises delivering
into the cells of a subject a nucleic acid expression construct
that expresses the dGHRH or functional biological equivalent
thereof. In a fourth specific embodiment, the nucleic acid
expression construct is delivered into the cells of the subject via
an electroporation method. The cells receiving the nucleic acid
expression construct comprise somatic cells, stem cells, or germ
cells. The dGHRH or functional biological equivalent thereof is
expressed in tissue specific cells of the subject (e.g. muscle
cells). Examples of nucleic acid expression constructs used for
this method include plasmids pAV0221 and pAV00215. In a fifth
specific embodiment, the method for delivering the dGHRH nucleic
acid expression further comprises using a transfection-facilitating
polypeptide, wherein the transfection-facilitating polypeptide
comprises a charged polypeptide (e.g. poly-L-glutamate). Increasing
GH values are reflected by increasing hematological parameters in
the subject having the delivered recombinant dGHRH or functional
biological equivalent thereof.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES
[0024] FIG. 1 shows the alignment of HV-GHRH and dGHRH coding
sequences, and the consensus sequence;
[0025] FIG. 2 shows alignment of HV-GHRH and dGHRH amino acid
sequences, and the consensus sequence; notice that the 5' signal
peptide contains 30 amino acids in the dog specific sequence, and
it contains 31 amino acids in the HV-GHRH, a modified porcine GHRH
with long serum half-life;
[0026] FIG. 3 shows the sequence of the pAV0221 plasmid vector
containing the dGHRH sequence;
[0027] FIG. 4 shows the sequence of the pAV0215 plasmid vector
containing the HV-GHRH sequence;
[0028] FIG. 5 shows the average red blood cell count in dogs
treated with the species specific dGHRH versus controls and dogs
treated with the modified porcine HV-GHRH (day 7, P<0.05 versus
baseline in dogs treated with dGHRH);
[0029] FIG. 6 shows the average hemoglobin in dogs treated with the
species specific dGHRH versus controls and dogs treated with the
modified porcine HV-GHRH (day 14, P<0.05 versus baseline in dogs
treated with dGHRH);
[0030] FIG. 7 shows the average mean corpuscular hemoglobin in dogs
treated with the species specific dGHRH versus controls and dogs
treated with the modified porcine HV-GHRH (day 14, P<0.01 versus
baseline in dogs treated with dGHRH); and
[0031] FIG. 8 shows the average mean corpuscular hemoglobin
concentration in dogs treated with the species specific dGHRH
versus controls and dogs treated with the modified porcine HV-GHRH
(day 14, P<0.002 versus baseline in dogs treated with
dGHRH).
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0032] Terms:
[0033] The term "analog" as used herein includes any mutant of
GHRH, or synthetic or naturally occurring peptide fragments of
GHRH.
[0034] The terms "canine" and "dog" as used interchangeably
herein.
[0035] The term "codon" as used herein refers to any group of three
consecutive nucleotide bases in a given messenger RNA molecule, or
coding strand of DNA that specifies a particular amino-acid, or a
starting or stopping signal for translation. The term codon also
refers to base triplets in a DNA strand.
[0036] The term "coding region" as used herein refers to any
portion of the DNA sequence that is transcribed into messenger RNA
(mRNA) and then translated into a sequence of amino acids
characteristic of a specific polypeptide.
[0037] The term "delivery" as used herein is defined as a means of
introducing a material into a subject, a cell or any recipient, by
means of chemical or biological process, injection, mixing,
electroporation, sonoporation, or combination thereof, either
without or under pressure.
[0038] The term "encoded GHRH" as used herein is a biologically
active polypeptide.
[0039] The term "functional biological equivalent" of GHRH as used
herein is a polypeptide that has been engineered to contain a
distinct amino acid sequence while simultaneously having similar or
improved biological activity when compared to the GHRH
polypeptide.
[0040] The term "growth hormone" ("GH") as used herein is defined
as a hormone that relates to growth and acts as a chemical
messenger to exert its action on a target cell.
[0041] The term "growth hormone releasing hormone" ("GHRH") as used
herein is defined as a hormone that facilitates or stimulates
release of GH, and to a lesser extent other pituitary hormones,
such as prolactin.
[0042] The term "heterologous nucleic acid sequence" as used herein
is defined as a DNA sequence consisting of differing regulatory and
expression elements.
[0043] The term "isolated" as used herein refers to synthetic or
recombinant preparation of molecules in a purified, or
concentrated, or both, form, substantially free from undesirable
properties.
[0044] The term "modified GHRH" as used herein is a polypeptide
that has been engineered to contain an amino acid sequence that is
distinct from the wild-type GHRH polypeptide while simultaneously
having similar or improved biologically activity when compared to
the wild-type GHRH polypeptide. The wild-type GHRH polypeptide is
the naturally occurring species-specific GHRH polypeptide of a
subject, a cell or any recipient of the modified GHRH.
[0045] The term "nucleic acid expression construct" as used herein
refers to any type of genetic construct comprising a nucleic acid
coding for a RNA capable of being transcribed. The transcribed RNA
is then capable of being translated into a peptide, polypeptide, or
protein. The term "expression vector" or "expression plasmid" can
also be used interchangeably.
[0046] The term "recipient subject" as used herein refers to a
subject that receives a treatment or composition.
[0047] The term "subject" as used herein refers to any species of
the animal kingdom, including humans. In preferred embodiments it
refers more specifically to canines.
[0048] The term "domesticated animal" as used herein refers to
animals used for: pets (e.g. cats, dogs, etc.); work (e.g. horses,
cows, etc.); food (chicken, fish, lambs, pigs, etc); and all others
known in the art.
[0049] The term "operatively linked" as used herein refers to
elements or structures in a nucleic acid sequence that are linked
by operative ability and not physical location. The elements or
structures are capable of, or characterized by accomplishing a
desired operation. It is recognized by one of ordinary skill in the
art that it is not necessary for elements or structures in a
nucleic acid sequence to be in a tandem or adjacent order to be
operatively linked.
[0050] The term "promoter" as used herein refers to a sequence of
DNA that directs the transcription of a gene. A promoter may direct
the transcription of a prokaryotic or eukaryotic gene. A promoter
may be "inducible", initiating transcription in response to an
inducing agent or, in contrast, a promoter may be "constitutive",
whereby an inducing agent does not regulate the rate of
transcription. A promoter may be regulated in a tissue-specific or
tissue-preferred manner, such that it is only active in
transcribing the operable linked coding region in a specific tissue
type or types.
[0051] The term "replication element" as used herein comprises
nucleic acid sequences that will lead to replication of a plasmid
in a specified host. One skilled in the art of molecular biology
will recognize that the replication element may include, but is not
limited to, a selectable marker gene promoter, a ribosomal binding
site, a selectable marker gene sequence, and an origin of
replication.
[0052] The term "therapeutic element" as used herein comprises
nucleic acid sequences that will lead to an in vivo expression of
an encoded gene product. One skilled in the art of molecular
biology will recognize that the therapeutic element may include,
but is not limited to a promoter sequence, a poly [A] sequence, or
a 3' or 5' UTR.
[0053] The term "vector" as used herein refers to any vehicle that
delivers a nucleic acid into a cell or organism. Examples include
plasmid vectors, viral vectors, liposomes, or cationic lipids.
[0054] The standard one and three letter abbreviations for amino
acids used herein
[0055] are as follows: Alanine, A ala; Arginine, R, arg;
Asparagine, N, asn; Aspartic acid, D, asp; Cysteine, C, cys;
Glutamine, Q, gln; Glutamic acid, E, glu; Glycine, G, gly;
Histidine, H, his; Isoleucine, I, ile; Leucine, L, leu; Lysine, K,
lys; Methionine, M, met; Phenylalanine, F, phe; Proline, P, pro;
Serine, S, ser; Threonine, T, thr; Tryptophan, W, trp; Tyrosine, Y,
tyr; Valine, V, val.
[0056] In a preferred embodiment, the nucleic acid construct or
vector of the present invention is a plasmid that comprises a
synthetic myogenic (muscle-specific) promoter, a synthetic
nucleotide sequence encoding a dGHRH or its analog, and a 3'
untranslated region (3'UTR).
[0057] Promoters and Enhancers. A "promoter" is a control sequence
that is a region of a nucleic acid sequence at which the initiation
and rate of transcription are controlled. It may contain genetic
elements where regulatory proteins and molecules may bind such as
RNA polymerase and transcription factors. The phrases "operatively
positioned," "operatively linked," "under control," and "under
transcriptional control" mean that a promoter is in a correct
functional location and/or orientation in relation to a nucleic
acid sequence to control transcriptional initiation and/or
expression of that sequence. A promoter may or may not be used in
conjunction with an "enhancer," which refers to a cis-acting
regulatory sequence involved in the transcriptional activation of a
nucleic acid sequence.
[0058] A promoter may be one of naturally-coding sequences located
upstream of the coding segment and/or exon. Such a promoter can be
referred to as "endogenous." Similarly, an enhancer may be one
naturally associated with a nucleic acid sequence, located either
downstream or upstream of that sequence. Alternatively, certain
advantages will be gained by positioning the coding nucleic acid
segment under the control of a recombinant or heterologous
promoter, which refers to a promoter that is not normally
associated with a nucleic acid sequence in its natural environment.
A recombinant or heterologous enhancer refers also to an enhancer
not normally associated with a nucleic acid sequence in its natural
environment. Such promoters or enhancers may include promoters or
enhancers of other genes, and promoters or enhancers isolated from
any other prokaryotic, viral, or eukaryotic cell, and promoters or
enhancers not "naturally occurring," i.e., containing different
elements of different transcriptional regulatory regions, and/or
mutations that alter expression. In addition to producing nucleic
acid sequences of promoters and enhancers synthetically, sequences
may be produced using recombinant cloning and/or nucleic acid
amplification technology, including PCR.TM.. Furthermore, it is
contemplated the control sequences that direct transcription and/or
expression of sequences within non-nuclear organelles such as
mitochondria, chloroplasts, and the like, can be employed as
well.
[0059] Naturally, it will be important to employ a promoter and/or
enhancer that effectively directs the expression of the DNA segment
in the cell type, organelle, and organism chosen for expression.
Those of skill in the art of molecular biology generally know the
use of promoters, enhancers, and cell type combinations for protein
expression. The promoters employed may be constitutive,
tissue-specific, inducible, and/or useful under the appropriate
conditions to direct high level expression of the introduced DNA
segment, such as is advantageous in the large-scale production of
recombinant proteins and/or peptides. The promoter may be
heterologous or endogenous. In a specific embodiment the promoter
is a synthetic myogenic promoter (Seq. ID No. 11).
[0060] The identity of tissue-specific promoters or elements, as
well as assays to characterize their activity, is well known to
those of skill in the art. Examples of such regions include the
human LIMK2 gene, the somatostatin receptor 2 gene, murine
epididymal retinoic acid-binding gene, human CD4, mouse alpha2 (XI)
collagen, D1A dopamine receptor gene, insulin-like growth factor
II, human platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1.
[0061] Initiation Signals and Internal Ribosome Binding Sites. A
specific initiation signal also may be required for efficient
translation (synthesis of the encoded protein) of coding sequences.
These signals include the ATG initiation codon or adjacent
sequences. Exogenous translational control signals, including the
ATG initiation codon, may need to be provided. One of ordinary
skill in the art would readily be capable of determining this and
providing the necessary signals. It is well known that the
initiation codon must be "in-frame" with the reading frame of the
desired coding sequence to ensure translation of the entire insert.
The exogenous translational control signals and initiation codons
can be either natural or synthetic. The efficiency of expression
may be enhanced by the inclusion of appropriate transcription
enhancer elements.
[0062] In certain embodiments of the invention, internal ribosome
entry sites ("IRES") elements are used to create multigene, or
polycistronic messages. IRES elements are able to bypass the
ribosome scanning model of 5' methylated Cap-dependent translation
and begin translation at internal sites. IRES elements from two
members of the picornavirus family (polio and encephalomyocarditis)
have been described, as well a IRES from a mammalian message. IRES
elements can be linked to heterologous open reading frames.
Multiple open reading frames can be transcribed together, each
separated by a IRES, creating polycistronic messages. By virtue of
the IRES element, each open reading frame is accessible to
ribosomes for efficient translation. Multiple genes can be
efficiently expressed using a single promoter/enhancer to
transcribe a single message.
[0063] Multiple Cloning Sites. Vectors can include a multiple
cloning site ("MCS"), which is a nucleic acid region that contains
multiple restriction enzyme sites, any of which can be used in
conjunction with standard recombinant technology to digest the
vector. "Restriction enzyme digestion" refers to catalytic cleavage
of a nucleic acid molecule with an enzyme that functions only at
specific locations in a nucleic acid molecule. Many of these
restriction enzymes are commercially available. Use of such enzymes
is widely understood by those of skill in the art. Frequently, a
vector is linearized or fragmented using a restriction enzyme that
cuts within the MCS to enable exogenous sequences to be ligated to
the vector. "Ligation" refers to the process of forming
phosphodiester bonds between two nucleic acid fragments, which may
or may not be contiguous with each other. Techniques involving
restriction enzymes and ligation reactions are well known to those
of skill in the art of recombinant technology.
[0064] Splicing Sites. Most transcribed eukaryotic RNA molecules
will undergo RNA splicing to remove introns from the primary
transcripts. Vectors containing genomic eukaryotic sequences may
require donor and/or acceptor splicing sites to ensure proper
processing of the transcript for protein expression.
[0065] Polyadenylation Signals. In expression, one will typically
include a polyadenylation signal to effect proper polyadenylation
of the transcript. The nature of the polyadenylation signal is not
believed to be crucial to the successful practice of the invention,
and/or any such sequence may be employed. Preferred embodiments
include the bovine or human GH polyadenylation signal, convenient
and/or known to function well in various target cells. In a
specific embodiment the polyadenylation signal is a fragment of the
3'UTR of human growth hormone (Seq. ID No. 12). Also contemplated
as an element of the expression cassette is a transcriptional
termination site. These elements can serve to enhance message
levels and/or to minimize read through from the cassette into other
sequences.
[0066] Origins of Replication. In order to propagate a vector in a
host cell, it may contain one or more origins of replication sites
(often termed "ori"), which is a specific nucleic acid sequence at
which replication is initiated. In a specific embodiment the origin
of replication is the pUC-18 origin of replication (Seq. ID No.
16). Alternatively an autonomously replicating sequence ("ARS") can
be employed if the host cell is yeast.
[0067] Selectable and Screenable Markers. In certain embodiments of
the invention, the cells that contain the nucleic acid construct of
the present invention may be identified in vitro or in vivo by
including a marker in the expression vector. Such markers would
confer an identifiable change to the cell permitting easy
identification of cells containing the expression vector.
Generally, a selectable marker is one that confers a property that
allows for selection. A positive selectable marker is one in which
the presence of the marker allows for its selection, while a
negative selectable marker is one in which its presence prevents
its selection. An example of a positive selectable marker is a drug
resistance marker, such as the antibiotic resistance gene on the
plasmid constructs (such as kanamycin, ampicylin, gentamycin,
tetracycline, or chloramphenicol). initiated. In a specific
embodiment the selectable marker is the kanamycin resistance marker
(Seq. ID No. 15).
[0068] Usually the inclusion of a drug selection marker aids in the
cloning and identification of transformants, for example, genes
that confer resistance to neomycin, puromycin, hygromycin, DHFR,
GPT, zeocin and histidinol are useful selectable markers. In
addition to markers conferring a phenotype that allows for the
discrimination of transformants based on the implementation of
conditions, other types of markers including screenable markers
such as GFP, whose basis is calorimetric analysis, are also
contemplated. Alternatively, screenable enzymes may be utilized.
One of skill in the art would also know how to employ immunologic
markers, possibly in conjunction with FACS analysis. The marker
used is not believed to be important, so long as it is capable of
being expressed simultaneously with the nucleic acid encoding a
gene product. Further examples of selectable and screenable markers
are well known to one of skill in the art.
[0069] GHRH: GHRH has a short half-life in the circulatory system
in mammals (Frohman et al., 1984). The HV-GHRH super-analog was
presented in the U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/021,403 filed
on Dec. 12, 2001 and titled "Administration of nucleic acid
sequence to female animal to enhance growth in offspring" with
Schwartz, et al., listed as inventors and U.S. Pat. No. 6,551,996
("the '996 patent"), issued on Apr. 22, 2003 having Schwartz et
al., listed as inventors. The '996 patent teaches application of a
GHRH analog containing mutations that improve the ability to elicit
the release of GH. In addition, the '996 patent relates to the
treatment of growth deficiencies; the improvement of growth
performance; the stimulation of production of GH in an animal at a
greater level than that associated with normal growth; and the
enhancement of growth utilizing the administration of GH releasing
hormone analog and is herein incorporated by reference. In order to
clone the dGHRH, a dog hypothalamic library was generated and
screened.
[0070] The invention may be better understood with reference to the
following examples, which are representative of some of the
embodiments of the invention, and are not intended to limit the
invention.
Example 1
[0071] DNA/Plasmid constructs: GHRH cDNA constructs were introduced
into the pAV plasmid backbone, as described in US patent
application Ser. No. 60/396,247 filed on Jul. 16, 2002 and titled
"Codon Optimized Synthetic Plasmids" with Draghia-Akli, et al.,
listed as inventors. Each of the expression vector elements were
operatively linked and incorporated into the myogenic GHRH
expression vectors. For example, the biological potency of the
dGHRH was tested using the pAV plasmid vector that was engineered
to direct high levels of skeletal muscle-specific gene expression
with the use of a synthetic muscle promoter, SPc5-12 (Li et al.,
1999) and a 225-bp fragment of dGHRH, which encodes the 30 amino
acid signal peptide and a form of the mature peptide dGHRH
(Tyr1-Gly40) followed by the 3' untranslated region of the human GH
("hGH"). The sequence of the muscle specific synthetic promoter
(Seq. ID No. 11) and the sequence of the fragment of 3'UTR of human
growth hormone (Seq. ID No. 12) are included. Other constructs
included the modified porcine HV-GHRH, which was used as a positive
control, or another functional biological equivalent thereof. The
wild type and mutated porcine GHRH cDNAs were generated by site
directed mutagenesis of GHRH cDNA (Altered Sites II in vitro
Mutagenesis System, Promega, Madison, Wis.), and cloned into the
BamHI/Hind III sites of pSPc5-12, to generate pSP-wt-GHRH, or
pSP-TI-GHRH respectively. The 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) of GH
was cloned downstream of GHRH cDNA. Each of the resultant plasmids
contained a coding region for either a wild type or a mutated form
of GHRH. Although not wanting to be bound by theory, some of the
mutated resultant amino acid sequences were not naturally present
in mammals.
[0072] Dog GHRH cloning--A custom cDNA library was constructed by
Clontech Laboratories, Inc., Palo Alto, Calif. The starting tissue
for the library was dog hypothalamus (4.7 gm) which had been
collected from dogs kept in a closed, experimental facility (NIH
Regulations) from birth to death and stored at -80.degree. C. The
cDNA library was screened by PCR using a 5' primer selected from
the Bam/Hind III fragment of HV-GHRH and a 3' primer selected from
sequence in Exon 5 of bovine GHRH.
TABLE-US-00001 Seq ID No. 07 Bam/Hind III 5' Primer: ATG GTG CTC
TGG GTG TTC TT Seq ID No. 08 Exon 5 3' Primer: TTC ATC CTT GGG AGT
TCC TG
PCR conditions were as following: DNA (library) 3 .mu.l, 10.times.
Accutaq buffer 5 .mu.l, DMSO 1 .mu.l, dNTP's (10 mM) 1 .mu.l,
Exon3-5' primer (50 ng) 1 .mu.l, Exon 5-3'primer (50 ng) 1 .mu.l,
water 37.5 .mu.l, Accutaq 0.5 .mu.l, with the following cycling
parameters: 94.degree. C. 10 min, 94.degree. C. 30 sec, 55.degree.
C. 30 sec, 68.degree. C. 30 sec for 35 cycles, followed by a cycle
at 68.degree. C. for 5 min.
[0073] The PCR fragment generated, approx. 200 bp, was subcloned
using the TOPO cloning kit and sent for sequencing. Clone # 13 was
found to be complete and aligned and compared with other GHRH
sequences, as that of human GHRH.
[0074] Primers were designed with specific mutations to incorporate
a restriction sites to facilitate sub-cloning into expression
vectors: NcoI, Hind III sites and 2 stop codons in clone #13 for
insertion into the new pAV backbone. The newly generated expected
band size is approx. 240 bp.
TABLE-US-00002 Seq ID No. 09 dogHindIII B 5'Primer
CGGCCGAAAGCTTACTATGCTCCT Seq ID No. 10 dogNcoI B 3'Primer
ATTCGCCCCCATGGTGCTCTGGG
[0075] PCR Conditions were as following: DNA (clone #13) 10 ng,
10.times. Accutaq buffer 5 .mu.l, DMSO 1 .mu.l, dNTP's (10 mM) 1
.mu.l, 5' primer (50 ng) 1 .mu.l, 3'primer (50 ng) 1 .mu.l, water
40.5 .mu.l, Accutaq 0.5 .mu.l. The cycling parameters were as
following: 95.degree. C. for 3' min, 94.degree. C. 30 sec,
52.degree. C. 30 sec, 68.degree. C. 30 sec, for 30 cycles, followed
by on extension at 68.degree. C. for 5 min.
[0076] PCR reaction mix digested with NcoI and HindIII and ligated
into the new backbone using Takara ligase; clones were then
sequenced to confirm that restriction sites and stop codons had
been incorporated. Muscle cells (Sol 8's) were transfected with the
resulting vector and a Northern blot confirmed presence of species
specific RNA.
[0077] An alignment of the HV-GHRH and dGHRH coding sequences is
shown in FIG. 1, and an alignment of the corresponding amino acid
sequences is shown in FIG. 2. As shown below, the encoded GHRH
amino acid sequences are different:
TABLE-US-00003 Porcine (pGHRH): SEQ ID NO. 01
YADAIFTNSYRKVLGQLSARKLLQDIMSRQQGERNQEQGA-OH Mutated porcine
(HV-GHRH): SEQ ID NO. 02
HVDAIFTNSYRKVLAQLSARKLLQDILNRQQGERNQEQGA-OH Canine or Dog specific
(dGHRH): SEQ ID NO. 03
YADAIFTNSYRKVLGQLSARKLLQDIMSRQQGERNREQGA-OH
[0078] Although not wanting to be bound by theory, the effects of
treating a GH deficient diseases or anemia is determined ultimately
by the circulating levels of needed hormones. In general, the
encoded dGHRH or functional biological equivalent thereof is of
formula:
TABLE-US-00004 SEQ ID NO. 04
X.sub.1X.sub.2DAIFTNSYRKVLX.sub.3QLSARKLLQDIX.sub.4X.sub.5RQQGERNREQGA
wherein: X.sub.1 is a D- or L-isomer of an amino acid selected from
the group consisting of tyrosine ("Y"), or histidine ("H"); X.sub.2
is a D- or L-isomer of an amino acid selected from the group
consisting of alanine ("A"), valine ("V"), or isoleucine ("I");
X.sub.3 is a D- or L-isomer of an amino acid selected from the
group consisting of alanine ("A") or glycine ("G"); X.sub.4 is a D-
or L-isomer of an amino acid selected from the group consisting of
methionine ("M"), or leucine ("L"); X.sub.5 is a D- or L-isomer of
an amino acid selected from the group consisting of serine ("S") or
asparagines ("N").
[0079] The pAV0221 plasmid shown in FIG. 3 and Seq ID No. 05
comprises a coding region for the dGHRH. The pAV0215 plasmid shown
in FIG. 4 and Seq ID No. 06 comprises a coding region for the
mutated HV-GHRH. The plasmids described above do not contain
polylinker, IGF-I gene, a skeletal alpha-actin promoter or a
skeletal alpha actin 3' UTR/NCR. Furthermore, these plasmids were
introduced by muscle injection, followed by in vivo
electroporation, as described below.
[0080] In terms of "functional biological equivalents", it is well
understood by the skilled artisan that, inherent in the definition
of a "biologically functional equivalent" protein and/or
polynucleotide, is the concept that there is a limit to the number
of changes that may be made within a defined portion of the
molecule while retaining a molecule with an acceptable level of
equivalent biological activity. Functional biological equivalents
are further defined herein as those proteins (and polynucleotides)
in selected amino acids (or codons) may be substituted. A peptide
comprising a functional biological equivalent of a species specific
GHRH is a polypeptide that has been engineered to contain distinct
amino acid sequences while simultaneously having similar or
improved biologically activity when compared to GHRH. For example
one biological activity of GHRH is to facilitate GH secretion in
the subject. Another example of a functional biological equivalent
is a biologically active peptide or nucleic acid sequence having at
least 95% identity to any of the corresponding Seq ID No's.:
1-10.
Example 2
[0081] Experimental animals: Nine dogs were divided into three
groups of 3 animals. All dogs were of approximately the same age
(.+-.1-2 months), at least 1 year-old, and weight within 5% of each
other. Group I received water for injection on day 1 and constitute
the negative control group. Group II received 1 mg dog-GHRH plasmid
on day 1 and constitute the test group. Group III received 1 mg
HV-GHRH plasmid on day 1 and constitute the positive control group.
Plasmid formulation or water for injection was administered by
intramuscular injection followed by electroporation on Day 1. Blood
samples for measurement of hematology, serum chemistry and hormone
parameters were collected during physical exams on Day -6 and on
Day 1 prior to dosing. Additional blood collections were done every
following week to the end of the study. Urine was collected and
urinalysis performed on Day 1 prior to dosing and at termination of
the study for each animal. Injection sites (medial thigh) were
examined for signs of erythema and edema during physical
examinations, at dosing on Day 1, Day 2 and every week thereafter.
The following hematological parameters were measured at the
indicated time points: erythrocyte counts ("RBC"), hematocrit,
hemoglobin, total leukocyte count ("WBC"), and differential
leukocyte counts (neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils,
and basophils), platelet count, MCV, MCH, MCHC.
[0082] Red blood cell production. As shown in FIG. 5, the dog group
that was treated with the plasmid encoding the dGHRH (.quadrature.)
showed an increase (P<0.05) in red blood cell count as soon as
day 7 post-injection when compared to baseline values. By
comparison, the dogs treated with the plasmid encoding the modified
porcine HV-GHRH (.DELTA.) molecule, which was proved to stimulate
hematopoiesis long-term post-injection, did not show any
improvement in their day 7 hematological parameters.
[0083] Hemoglobin production. As shown in FIG. 6, the Beagle dogs
that were injected with the plasmid encoding the dGHRH
(.quadrature.) showed an increase in the production of hemoglobin
(P<0.05) at 14 days post-injection. Additionally, the mean
corpuscular hemoglobin for the Beagle dogs that were injection with
the plasmid encoding the dGHRH (.quadrature.) was also increased
(P<0.01), as shown in FIG. 7. The mean corpuscular hemoglobin
concentration increased when compared to baseline values in the dog
group treated with the plasmid encoding dGHRH (P<0.002), as
shown in FIG. 8. In contrast, the dogs treated with the plasmid
encoding the modified porcine HV-GHRH (.DELTA.) molecule, which was
proved to stimulate hematopoiesis long-term post-injection, did not
show any improvement in their hematological parameters.
[0084] Although not wanting to be bound by theory, regulatory
hormones (e.g. GHRH and GH) often contain a complex
feedback-regulated pathway, which are further complicated by
chronic conditions (e.g. cancer, immunodeficiency syndromes, and
others). Without direct experimentation of the GHRH or biological
equivalents that are used in plasmid mediated supplementation, a
beneficial therapy could not be predicted by one skilled in the art
to determine what modifications to the encoded GHRH or it's
functional biological equitant will yield a desired result. For
example, previous experiments have indicated that the modified
mammalian HV-GHRH produced desired affects faster than the porcine
wild-type GHRH (Draghia-Akli et al., 1999). As shown in the example
described above, the dGHRH improved canine hematological parameters
faster and more efficiently than the modified mammalian HV-GHRH.
The invention described herein contains the compositions,
descriptions, and results of essential experimentation that
explored species specific of distinctive nucleic acid sequences
that encoded for a dGHRH or biological equivalent thereof, which
was not obvious based upon prior art.
[0085] One skilled in the art readily appreciates that the
disclosed invention is well adapted to carry out the mentioned and
inherent objectives. GH, GHRH, modified growth hormone releasing
hormone or functional biological equivalents, plasmids, vectors,
pharmaceutical compositions, treatments, methods, procedures and
techniques described herein are presented as representative of the
preferred embodiments and are not intended as limitations of the
scope of the invention. Thus, other uses will occur to those
skilled in the art that are encompassed within the spirit and scope
of the described invention.
[0086] The entire content of each of the following documents and
publications are hereby incorporated by reference.
TABLE-US-00005 U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS No. Number Date Inventor 1
U.S. Pat. No. 60/396,247 Jul. 16, 2002 Draghia-Akli 2 U.S. Pat. No.
6,551,996 Apr. 22, 2003 Schwartz 3 U.S. Pat. No. 5,872,127 Feb. 16,
1999 Cincotta 4 U.S. Pat. No. 5,847,066 Dec. 08, 1998 Coy 5 U.S.
Pat. No. 5,846,936 Dec. 08, 1998 Felix 6 U.S. Pat. No. 5,792,747
Aug. 11, 1998 Schally 7 U.S. Pat. No. 5,776,901 Jul. 07, 1998
Bowers 8 U.S. Pat. No. 5,756,264 May 26, 1998 Schwartz 9 U.S. Pat.
No. 5,704,908 Jan. 06, 1998 Hoffman 10 U.S. Pat. No. 5,702,304 Dec.
30, 1997 Acres, et al. 11 U.S. Pat. No. 5,696,089 Dec. 09, 1997
Felix 12 U.S. Pat. No. 5,605,885 Feb. 25, 1997 Bernton 13 U.S. Pat.
No. 5,486,505 Jan. 23, 1996 Bowers 14 U.S. Pat. No. 5,439,440 Aug.
08, 1995 Hoffman 15 U.S. Pat. No. 5,292,721 Mar. 08, 1994 Boyd 16
U.S. Pat. No. 5,137,872 Aug. 11, 1992 Seely 17 U.S. Pat. No.
5,134,120 Jul. 28, 1992 Boyd 18 U.S. Pat. No. 5,084,442 Jan. 28,
1992 Felix 19 U.S. Pat. No. 5,061,690 Oct. 29, 1991 Kann 20 U.S.
Pat. No. 5,036,045 Jul. 30, 1991 Thorner 21 U.S. Pat. No. 5,023,322
Jun. 11, 1991 Kovacs 22 U.S. Pat. No. 4,956,288 Sep. 11, 1990
Barsoum 23 U.S. Pat. No. 4,839,344 Jun. 13, 1989 Bowers 24 U.S.
Pat. No. 4,410,512 Oct. 18, 1983 Bowers 25 US-RE33,699 Sep. 24,
1991 Drengler 26 U.S. Pat. No. 4,833,166 May 23, 1989 Grosvenor 27
U.S. Pat. No. 4,228,158 Oct. 14, 1980 Momany 28 U.S. Pat. No.
4,228,156 Oct. 14, 1980 Momany 29 U.S. Pat. No. 4,226,857 Oct. 07,
1980 Momany 30 U.S. Pat. No. 4,224,316 Sep. 23, 1980 Momany 31 U.S.
Pat. No. 4,223,021 Sep. 16, 1980 Momany 32 U.S. Pat. No. 4,223,020
Sep. 16, 1980 Momany 33 U.S. Pat. No. 4,223,019 Sep. 16, 1980
Momany
OTHER LITERATURE
TABLE-US-00006 [0087] 34 PCT WO 96/12520 35 PCT WO 96/12006 36 PCT
WO 95/19805 37 PCT WO 97/07826
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Sequence CWU 1
1
22140PRTArtificial sequenceThis is the amino acid sequence for
porcine GHRH. 1Tyr Ala Asp Ala Ile Phe Thr Asn Ser Tyr Arg Lys Val
Leu Gly Gln1 5 10 15Leu Ser Ala Arg Lys Leu Leu Gln Asp Ile Met Ser
Arg Gln Gln Gly20 25 30Glu Arg Asn Gln Glu Gln Gly Ala35
40240PRTartificial sequenceThis is a modified amino acid sequence
for GHRH 2His Val Asp Ala Ile Phe Thr Asn Ser Tyr Arg Lys Val Leu
Ala Gln1 5 10 15Leu Ser Ala Arg Lys Leu Leu Gln Asp Ile Leu Asn Arg
Gln Gln Gly20 25 30Glu Arg Asn Gln Glu Gln Gly Ala35
40340PRTartificial sequenceThis is the amino acid sequence for
canine GHRH. 3Tyr Ala Asp Ala Ile Phe Thr Asn Ser Tyr Arg Lys Val
Leu Gly Gln1 5 10 15Leu Ser Ala Arg Lys Leu Leu Gln Asp Ile Met Ser
Arg Gln Gln Gly20 25 30Glu Arg Asn Arg Glu Gln Gly Ala35
40440PRTartificial sequenceThis is the general amino acid sequence
for canine GHRH. 4Xaa Xaa Asp Ala Ile Phe Thr Asn Ser Tyr Arg Lys
Val Leu Xaa Gln1 5 10 15Leu Ser Ala Arg Lys Leu Leu Gln Asp Ile Xaa
Xaa Arg Gln Gln Gly20 25 30Glu Arg Asn Arg Glu Gln Gly Ala35
4052716DNAArtificial SequencepAV0221 is an expression plasmid
having a dGHRH sequence. 5ccaccgcggt ggcggccgtc cgccctcggc
accatcctca cgacacccaa atatggcgac 60gggtgaggaa tggtggggag ttatttttag
agcggtgagg aaggtgggca ggcagcaggt 120gttggcgctc taaaaataac
tcccgggagt tatttttaga gcggaggaat ggtggacacc 180caaatatggc
gacggttcct cacccgtcgc catatttggg tgtccgccct cggccggggc
240cgcattcctg ggggccgggc ggtgctcccg cccgcctcga taaaaggctc
cggggccggc 300ggcggcccac gagctacccg gaggagcggg aggcgccaag
cggatcccaa ggcccaactc 360cccgaaccac tcagggtcct gtggacagct
cacctagctg ccatggtgct ctgggtgttc 420ttcctggtga tcctcaccct
cagcagtggt tcccactctt ccccgccatc cctgcccatc 480agaatccctc
ggtatgcaga cgccatcttc accaacagct accggaaggt gctgggccag
540ctgtccgccc gcaagctcct scaggacatc atgagccggc agcagggaga
gagaaaccgg 600gagcaaggag catagtaagc ttatcggggt ggcatccctg
tgacccctcc ccagtgcctc 660tcctggccct ggaagttgcc actccagtgc
ccaccagcct tgtcctaata aaattaagtt 720gcatcatttt gtctgactag
gtgtccttct ataatattat ggggtggagg ggggtggtat 780ggagcaaggg
gcaagttggg aagacaacct gtagggctcg agggggggcc cggtaccagc
840ttttgttccc tttagtgagg gttaatttcg agcttggtct tccgcttcct
cgctcactga 900ctcgctgcgc tcggtcgttc ggctgcggcg agcggtatca
gctcactcaa aggcggtaat 960acggttatcc acagaatcag gggataacgc
aggaaagaac atgtgagcaa aaggccagca 1020aaaggccagg aaccgtaaaa
aggccgcgtt gctggcgttt ttccataggc tccgcccccc 1080tgacgagcat
cacaaaaatc gacgctcaag tcagaggtgg cgaaacccga caggactata
1140aagataccag gcgtttcccc ctggaagctc cctcgtgcgc tctcctgttc
cgaccctgcc 1200gcttaccgga tacctgtccg cctttctccc ttcgggaagc
gtggcgcttt ctcatagctc 1260acgctgtagg tatctcagtt cggtgtaggt
cgttcgctcc aagctgggct gtgtgcacga 1320accccccgtt cagcccgacc
gctgcgcctt atccggtaac tatcgtcttg agtccaaccc 1380ggtaagacac
gacttatcgc cactggcagc agccactggt aacaggatta gcagagcgag
1440gtatgtaggc ggtgctacag agttcttgaa gtggtggcct aactacggct
acactagaag 1500aacagtattt ggtatctgcg ctctgctgaa gccagttacc
ttcggaaaaa gagttggtag 1560ctcttgatcc ggcaaacaaa ccaccgctgg
tagcggtggt ttttttgttt gcaagcagca 1620gattacgcgc agaaaaaaag
gatctcaaga agatcctttg atcttttcta cggggtctga 1680cgctcagcta
gcgctcagaa gaactcgtca agaaggcgat agaaggcgat gcgctgcgaa
1740tcgggagcgg cgataccgta aagcacgagg aagcggtcag cccattcgcc
gccaagctct 1800tcagcaatat cacgggtagc caacgctatg tcctgatagc
ggtccgccac acccagccgg 1860ccacagtcga tgaatccaga aaagcggcca
ttttccacca tgatattcgg caagcaggca 1920tcgccatgag tcacgacgag
atcctcgccg tcgggcatgc gcgccttgag cctggcgaac 1980agttcggctg
gcgcgagccc ctgatgctct tcgtccagat catcctgatc gacaagaccg
2040gcttccatcc gagtacgtgc tcgctcgatg cgatgtttcg cttggtggtc
gaatgggcag 2100gtagccggat caagcgtatg cagccgccgc attgcatcag
ccatgatgga tactttctcg 2160gcaggagcaa ggtgagatga caggagatcc
tgccccggca cttcgcccaa tagcagccag 2220tcccttcccg cttcagtgac
aacgtcgagc acagctgcgc aaggaacgcc cgtcgtggcc 2280agccacgata
gccgcgctgc ctcgtcctgc agttcattca gggcaccgga caggtcggtc
2340ttgacaaaaa gaaccgggcg cccctgcgct gacagccgga acacggcggc
atcagagcag 2400ccgattgtct gttgtgccca gtcatagccg aatagcctct
ccacccaagc ggccggagaa 2460cctgcgtgca atccatcttg ttcaatcatg
cgaaacgatc ctcatcctgt ctcttgatca 2520gatcttgatc ccctgcgcca
tcagatcctt ggcggcaaga aagccatcca gtttactttg 2580cagggcttcc
caaccttacc agagggcgcc ccagctggca attccggttc gcttgctgtc
2640cataaaaccg cccagtctag caactgttgg gaagggcgat cgtgtaatac
gactcactat 2700agggcgaatt ggagct 271662739DNAArtificial
SequencepAV0215 is an expression plasmid for HV-GHRH. 6ccaccgcggt
ggcggccgtc cgccctcggc accatcctca cgacacccaa atatggcgac 60gggtgaggaa
tggtggggag ttatttttag agcggtgagg aaggtgggca ggcagcaggt
120gttggcgctc taaaaataac tcccgggagt tatttttaga gcggaggaat
ggtggacacc 180caaatatggc gacggttcct cacccgtcgc catatttggg
tgtccgccct cggccggggc 240cgcattcctg ggggccgggc ggtgctcccg
cccgcctcga taaaaggctc cggggccggc 300ggcggcccac gagctacccg
gaggagcggg aggcgccaag cggatcccaa ggcccaactc 360cccgaaccac
tcagggtcct gtggacagct cacctagctg ccatggtgct ctgggtgttc
420ttctttgtga tcctcaccct cagcaacagc tcccactgct ccccacctcc
ccctttgacc 480ctcaggatgc ggcggcacgt agatgccatc ttcaccaaca
gctaccggaa ggtgctggcc 540cagctgtccg cccgcaagct gctccaggac
atcctgaaca ggcagcaggg agagaggaac 600caagagcaag gagcataatg
actgcaggaa ttcgatatca agcttatcgg ggtggcatcc 660ctgtgacccc
tccccagtgc ctctcctggc cctggaagtt gccactccag tgcccaccag
720ccttgtccta ataaaattaa gttgcatcat tttgtctgac taggtgtcct
tctataatat 780tatggggtgg aggggggtgg tatggagcaa ggggcaagtt
gggaagacaa cctgtagggc 840tcgagggggg gcccggtacc agcttttgtt
ccctttagtg agggttaatt tcgagcttgg 900tcttccgctt cctcgctcac
tgactcgctg cgctcggtcg ttcggctgcg gcgagcggta 960tcagctcact
caaaggcggt aatacggtta tccacagaat caggggataa cgcaggaaag
1020aacatgtgag caaaaggcca gcaaaaggcc aggaaccgta aaaaggccgc
gttgctggcg 1080tttttccata ggctccgccc ccctgacgag catcacaaaa
atcgacgctc aagtcagagg 1140tggcgaaacc cgacaggact ataaagatac
caggcgtttc cccctggaag ctccctcgtg 1200cgctctcctg ttccgaccct
gccgcttacc ggatacctgt ccgcctttct cccttcggga 1260agcgtggcgc
tttctcatag ctcacgctgt aggtatctca gttcggtgta ggtcgttcgc
1320tccaagctgg gctgtgtgca cgaacccccc gttcagcccg accgctgcgc
cttatccggt 1380aactatcgtc ttgagtccaa cccggtaaga cacgacttat
cgccactggc agcagccact 1440ggtaacagga ttagcagagc gaggtatgta
ggcggtgcta cagagttctt gaagtggtgg 1500cctaactacg gctacactag
aagaacagta tttggtatct gcgctctgct gaagccagtt 1560accttcggaa
aaagagttgg tagctcttga tccggcaaac aaaccaccgc tggtagcggt
1620ggtttttttg tttgcaagca gcagattacg cgcagaaaaa aaggatctca
agaagatcct 1680ttgatctttt ctacggggtc tgacgctcag ctagcgctca
gaagaactcg tcaagaaggc 1740gatagaaggc gatgcgctgc gaatcgggag
cggcgatacc gtaaagcacg aggaagcggt 1800cagcccattc gccgccaagc
tcttcagcaa tatcacgggt agccaacgct atgtcctgat 1860agcggtccgc
cacacccagc cggccacagt cgatgaatcc agaaaagcgg ccattttcca
1920ccatgatatt cggcaagcag gcatcgccat gagtcacgac gagatcctcg
ccgtcgggca 1980tgcgcgcctt gagcctggcg aacagttcgg ctggcgcgag
cccctgatgc tcttcgtcca 2040gatcatcctg atcgacaaga ccggcttcca
tccgagtacg tgctcgctcg atgcgatgtt 2100tcgcttggtg gtcgaatggg
caggtagccg gatcaagcgt atgcagccgc cgcattgcat 2160cagccatgat
ggatactttc tcggcaggag caaggtgaga tgacaggaga tcctgccccg
2220gcacttcgcc caatagcagc cagtcccttc ccgcttcagt gacaacgtcg
agcacagctg 2280cgcaaggaac gcccgtcgtg gccagccacg atagccgcgc
tgcctcgtcc tgcagttcat 2340tcagggcacc ggacaggtcg gtcttgacaa
aaagaaccgg gcgcccctgc gctgacagcc 2400ggaacacggc ggcatcagag
cagccgattg tctgttgtgc ccagtcatag ccgaatagcc 2460tctccaccca
agcggccgga gaacctgcgt gcaatccatc ttgttcaatc atgcgaaacg
2520atcctcatcc tgtctcttga tcagatcttg atcccctgcg ccatcagatc
cttggcggca 2580agaaagccat ccagtttact ttgcagggct tcccaacctt
accagagggc gccccagctg 2640gcaattccgg ttcgcttgct gtccataaaa
ccgcccagtc tagcaactgt tgggaagggc 2700gatcgtgtaa tacgactcac
tatagggcga attggagct 2739720DNAartificial sequenceA 5' primer
selected from the Bam/Hind III fragment of HV-GHRH. 7atggtgctct
gggtgttctt 20820DNAartificial sequenceA 3' primer selected from
sequence in Exon 5 of bovine GHRH. 8ttcatccttg ggagttcctg
20924DNAartificial sequencea Primer designed with specific
mutations 9cggccgaaag cttactatgc tcct 241023DNAartificial sequencea
Primer designed with specific mutations 10attcgccccc atggtgctct ggg
2311323DNAartificial sequenceNucleic acid sequence of a synthetic
eukaryotic promoter SPc5-12 11cggccgtccg ccctcggcac catcctcacg
acacccaaat atggcgacgg gtgaggaatg 60gtggggagtt atttttagag cggtgaggaa
ggtgggcagg cagcaggtgt tggcgctcta 120aaaataactc ccgggagtta
tttttagagc ggaggaatgg tggacaccca aatatggcga 180cggttcctca
cccgtcgcca tatttgggtg tccgccctcg gccggggccg cattcctggg
240ggccgggcgg tgctcccgcc cgcctcgata aaaggctccg gggccggcgg
cggcccacga 300gctacccgga ggagcgggag gcg 32312190DNAartificial
sequenceNucleic acid sequence of a human growth hormone poly A
tail. 12gggtggcatc cctgtgaccc ctccccagtg cctctcctgg ccctggaagt
tgccactcca 60gtgcccacca gccttgtcct aataaaatta agttgcatca ttttgtctga
ctaggtgtcc 120ttctataata ttatggggtg gaggggggtg gtatggagca
aggggcaagt tgggaagaca 180acctgtaggg 1901329DNAArtificial
SequenceProkaryotic selectable marker gene promoter PNEO.
13accttaccag agggcgcccc agctggcaa 29145DNAartificial sequenceNEO
ribosomal binding site. 14tcctc 515795DNAartificial
sequenceSequence for antibiotic resistance gene kanamycin.
15atgattgaac aagatggatt gcacgcaggt tctccggccg cttgggtgga gaggctattc
60ggctatgact gggcacaaca gacaatcggc tgctctgatg ccgccgtgtt ccggctgtca
120gcgcaggggc gcccggttct ttttgtcaag accgacctgt ccggtgccct
gaatgaactg 180caggacgagg cagcgcggct atcgtggctg gccacgacgg
gcgttccttg cgcagctgtg 240ctcgacgttg tcactgaagc gggaagggac
tggctgctat tgggcgaagt gccggggcag 300gatctcctgt catctcacct
tgctcctgcc gagaaagtat ccatcatggc tgatgcaatg 360cggcggctgc
atacgcttga tccggctacc tgcccattcg accaccaagc gaaacatcgc
420atcgagcgag cacgtactcg gatggaagcc ggtcttgtcg atcaggatga
tctggacgaa 480gagcatcagg ggctcgcgcc agccgaactg ttcgccaggc
tcaaggcgcg catgcccgac 540ggcgaggatc tcgtcgtgac tcatggcgat
gcctgcttgc cgaatatcat ggtggaaaat 600ggccgctttt ctggattcat
cgactgtggc cggctgggtg tggcggaccg ctatcaggac 660atagcgttgg
ctacccgtga tattgctgaa gagcttggcg gcgaatgggc tgaccgcttc
720ctcgtgcttt acggtatcgc cgctcccgat tcgcagcgca tcgccttcta
tcgccttctt 780gacgagttct tctga 79516782DNAartificial
sequenceSequence of a plasmid pUC-18 origin of replication.
16tcttccgctt cctcgctcac tgactcgctg cgctcggtcg ttcggctgcg gcgagcggta
60tcagctcact caaaggcggt aatacggtta tccacagaat caggggataa cgcaggaaag
120aacatgtgag caaaaggcca gcaaaaggcc aggaaccgta aaaaggccgc
gttgctggcg 180tttttccata ggctccgccc ccctgacgag catcacaaaa
atcgacgctc aagtcagagg 240tggcgaaacc cgacaggact ataaagatac
caggcgtttc cccctggaag ctccctcgtg 300cgctctcctg ttccgaccct
gccgcttacc ggatacctgt ccgcctttct cccttcggga 360agcgtggcgc
tttctcatag ctcacgctgt aggtatctca gttcggtgta ggtcgttcgc
420tccaagctgg gctgtgtgca cgaacccccc gttcagcccg accgctgcgc
cttatccggt 480aactatcgtc ttgagtccaa cccggtaaga cacgacttat
cgccactggc agcagccact 540ggtaacagga ttagcagagc gaggtatgta
ggcggtgcta cagagttctt gaagtggtgg 600cctaactacg gctacactag
aaggacagta tttggtatct gcgctctgct gaagccagtt 660accttcggaa
aaagagttgg tagctcttga tccggcaaac aaaccaccgc tggtagcggt
720ggtttttttg tttgcaagca gcagattacg cgcagaaaaa aaggatctca
agaagatcct 780tt 78217216DNAartificial sequenceThis is the
nucleotide sequence of dog GHRH. 17atggtgctct gggtgttctt cctggtgatc
ctcaccctca gcagtggttc ccactcttcc 60ccgccatccc tgcccatcag aatccctcgg
tatgcagacg ccatcttcac caacagctac 120cggaaggtgc tgggccagct
gtccgcccgc aagctcctsc aggacatcat gagccggcag 180cagggagaga
gaaaccggga gcaaggagca tagtaa 21618219DNAartificial sequenceThis is
the nucleotide sequence of HV-pGHRH. 18atggtgctct gggtgttctt
ctttgtgatc ctcaccctca gcaacagctc ccactgctcc 60ccacctcccc ctttgaccct
caggatgcgg cggcacgtag atgccatctt caccaacagc 120taccggaagg
tgctggccca gctgtccgcc cgcaagctgc tccaggacat cctgaacagg
180cagcagggag agaggaacca agagcaagga gcataatga 21919219DNAartificial
sequenceThis is the consensus sequence between dog GHRH and
HV-pGHRH. 19atggtgctct gggtgttctt cntngtgatc ctcaccctca gcannngntc
ccactnntcc 60ccnccnnccc nnntgnccnt cagnatncnn cggnangnag angccatctt
caccaacagc 120taccggaagg tgctggncca gctgtccgcc cgcaagctnc
tncaggacat cntgancngg 180cagcagggag agagnaaccn ngagcaagga gcatantna
2192070PRTartificial sequenceThis is the amino acid sequence of dog
GHRH. 20Met Val Leu Trp Val Phe Phe Leu Val Ile Leu Thr Leu Ser Ser
Gly1 5 10 15Ser His Ser Ser Pro Pro Ser Leu Pro Ile Arg Ile Pro Arg
Tyr Ala20 25 30Asp Ala Ile Phe Thr Asn Ser Tyr Arg Lys Val Leu Gly
Gln Leu Ser35 40 45Ala Arg Lys Leu Leu Gln Asp Ile Met Ser Arg Gln
Gln Gly Glu Arg50 55 60Asn Arg Glu Gln Gly Ala65
702171PRTartificial sequenceThis is the amino acid sequence of
HV-pGHRH. 21Met Val Leu Trp Val Phe Phe Phe Val Ile Leu Thr Leu Ser
Asn Ser1 5 10 15Ser His Cys Ser Pro Pro Pro Pro Leu Thr Leu Arg Met
Arg Arg His20 25 30Val Asp Ala Ile Phe Thr Asn Ser Tyr Arg Lys Val
Leu Ala Gln Leu35 40 45Ser Ala Arg Lys Leu Leu Gln Asp Ile Leu Asn
Arg Gln Gln Gly Glu50 55 60Arg Asn Gln Glu Gln Gly Ala65
702271PRTartificial sequenceThis is the amino acid consensus
sequence between dog GHRH and HV-pGHRH. 22Met Val Leu Trp Val Phe
Phe Xaa Val Ile Leu Thr Leu Ser Xaa Xaa1 5 10 15Ser His Xaa Ser Pro
Pro Xaa Xaa Leu Xaa Ile Arg Ile Xaa Arg His20 25 30Xaa Asp Ala Ile
Phe Thr Asn Ser Tyr Arg Lys Val Leu Ala Gln Leu35 40 45Ser Ala Arg
Lys Leu Leu Gln Asp Ile Leu Xaa Arg Gln Gln Gly Glu50 55 60Arg Asn
Xaa Glu Gln Gly Ala65 70
* * * * *