P40 protein acts as an oncogene

A p40 fusion protein comprising a first protein segment and a second protein segment fused together by means of a peptide bond, wherein the first protein segment consists of a p40 protein as shown in SEQ ID NO:2.

A preparation of antibodies which specifically bind to a p40 protein having an amino acid sequence as shown in SEQ ID NO:2, but which does not bind to p53 as shown in SEQ ID NO:

• 4.

A cDNA molecule which encodes a p40 protein having an amino acid sequence which is at least 99% identical to SEQ ID NO:2, wherein percent identity is determined using a Smith-Waterman homology search algorithm using an affine gap search with a gap open penalty of 12 and a gap extension penalty of 1.

A cDNA molecule which is at least 99% identical to the nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO:1, wherein percent identity is determined using a Smith-Waterman homology search algorithm using an affine gap search with a gap open penalty of 12 and a gap extension penalty of 1.

A nucleic acid construct comprising:

• a promoter;
• and
• a polynucleotide segment encoding a p40 protein as shown in SEQ ID NO:2, wherein the polynucleotide segment is located downstream from the promoter, wherein transcription of the polynucleotide segment initiates at the promoter, wherein the promoter is not the endogenous p40 promoter.

A host cell comprising a nucleic acid construct which comprises:

• a promoter and:
• a polynucleotide segment encoding a p40 protein having an amino acid sequence as shown in SEQ ID NO:2, wherein the promoter is not the endogenous p40 promoter.

A method of diagnosing a neoplastic tissue of a human, comprising the step of:

• detecting amplification of a p40 gene in a tissue suspected of being neoplastic, wherein the p40 gene has the coding sequence shown in SEQ ID NO:1, wherein the amplification indicates neoplasia of the tissue.

A method of identifying or classifying a neoplastic tissue of a human, comprising the step of:

• comparing expression of a first p40 gene in a first tissue of a human suspected of being neoplastic with expression of a second p40 gene in a second tissue of the human which is normal, wherein the second p40 gene has the coding sequence shown in SEQ ID NO:1, wherein increased expression of the first p40 gene relative to the second p40 gene identifies the first tissue as being neoplastic and having a p40 amplification.

A method of screening test compounds for the ability to modulate the binding of a p40 protein to a p53 protein, comprising the steps of:

• (a) contacting a test compound with a first protein comprising a p53 protein as shown in SEQ ID NO:4 and a second protein comprising a p40 protein as shown in SEQ ID NO:2, wherein the first and second proteins bind to each other in the absence of the test compound;
• and
• (b) determining the amount of the first protein which is bound or unbound to the second protein or determining the amount of the second protein which is bound or unbound to the first protein in the presence of the test compound, wherein a test compound which modulates the amount of bound first or second protein or which modulates the amount of unbound first or second protein is a potential drug for treating cancer.

A cell which comprises three recombinant DNA constructs, wherein a first construct encodes a first polypeptide fused to a sequence-specific DNA-binding domain, wherein a second construct encodes a second polypeptide fused to a transcriptional activation domain, and wherein a third construct comprises a reporter gene downstream from a DNA element which is recognized by the sequence-specific DNA-binding domain, wherein the first polypeptide comprises a p40 protein as shown in SEQ ID NO:2 and the second polypeptide comprises a p53 protein as shown in SEQ ID NO:4, or the first polypeptide comprises a p53 protein as shown in SEQ ID NO:4 and the second polypeptide comprises a p40 protein as shown in SEQ ID NO:2.

A method of visualizing a human chromosomal arm 3q, comprising the steps of:

• contacting a preparation of metaphase human chromosomes with a nucleotide probe comprising at least 12 contiguous nucleotides selected from the nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO:1;
• and
• detecting a chromosome which specifically hybridizes to the nucleotide probe, wherein a chromosome which specifically hybridizes to the nucleotide probe is identified as a human chromosomal arm 3q.

A therapeutic composition for treating neoplasia, comprising:

• a therapeutically effective amount of an antisense p40 polynucleotide;
• and
• a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.

A therapeutic composition comprising:

• a therapeutically effective amount of an antibody which specifically binds to a human p40 protein;
• and
• a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.

A method of treating neoplasia, comprising the step of:

• administering to a patient with neoplasia a therapeutically effective amount of a therapeutic p40 composition, whereby the patient's neoplasia is reduced.