Novel human lipase proteins, nucleic acids encoding them, and uses of both of these

An isolated polypeptide selected from the group consisting of:

• a) a fragment of a first polypeptide having the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 3, wherein the fragment comprises at least 17 contiguous amino acid residues of the first polypeptide;
• b) a naturally-occurring allelic variant of a first polypeptide having the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 3, wherein the first polypeptide is encoded by a nucleic acid molecule which hybridizes under stringent conditions with a nucleic acid molecule having of the nucleotide sequence of one of SEQ ID NOs:
• 1 and 2, or a complement thereof;
• c) a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid molecule having a nucleotide sequence which is at least 40% identical to one of SEQ ID NOs:
• 1 and 2, or a complement thereof;
• and
• d) a polypeptide having the amino acid sequence of about residues 18-467 of SEQ ID NO:
• 3.

A method of treating a patient afflicted with a disorder associated with aberrant activity or expression of MLip-l protein, the method comprising administering to the patient, in an amount effective to modulate the activity of the protein in the patient, a compound selected from the group consisting of

• i) the protein;
• ii) a variant of the protein;
• iii) a nucleic acid encoding the protein;
• and
• iv) an antisense nucleic acid which is capable of annealing with either of an mRNA encoding the protein and a portion of a genomic DNA encoding the protein,
• whereby at least one symptom of the disorder is alleviated.

A method of diagnosing a disorder associated with aberrant activity or expression of MLip-1 protein, the method being selected from the group consisting of

• (i) a method comprising assessing the level of expression of the gene encoding the protein in the patient and comparing the level of expression of the gene with the normal level of expression of the gene in a human not afflicted with the disorder, whereby a difference between the level of expression of the gene in the patient and the normal level is an indication that the patient is afflicted with the disorder and
• (ii) a method comprising comparing a sequence selected from the group consisting of
• (a) the nucleotide sequence of a nucleic acid encoding MLip-1 and
• (b) the amino acid sequence of a portion of MLip-1 protein in a sample obtained from a patient with the same sequence in a sample obtained from a subject who is known not to be afflicted and not to be predisposed to becoming afflicted with the disorder, whereby a difference between the two sequences is an indication that the patient is afflicted with the disorder.