Novel proteins

A protein selected from the group consisting of:

• (a) a protein comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 2;
• (b) a protein comprising a fragment of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 2, the fragment comprising at least eight contiguous amino acids of SEQ ID NO:
• 2;
• (c) a protein comprising a fragment of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 2, the fragment comprising at least twenty contiguous amino acids of SEQ ID NO:
• 2;
• a protein comprising a fragment of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 2, the fragment comprising at least thirty contiguous amino acids of SEQ ID NO:
• 2;
• a protein comprising an amino acid sequence that has at least 75% sequence identity with the fragment of (b)-(d) above.
• a protein comprising an amino acid sequence that has at least 85% sequence identity with the fragment of (b)-(d) above.
• (g) a protein comprising an amino acid sequence that has at least 95% sequence identity with the fragment of (b)-(d) above.
• (h) a protein comprising an amino acid sequence that is at least 25% of the length of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 2 and has at least 60% sequence identity with the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 2;
• (i) a protein comprising an amino acid sequence that is at least 50% of the length of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 2 and has at least 75% sequence identity with the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 2;
• (j) a protein comprising an amino acid sequence that is at least 75% of the length of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 2 and has at least 90% sequence identity with the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 2;
• and
• (k) a protein comprising the amino acid sequence encoded by the cDNA insert of clone WA15—1i deposited under accession number ATCC PTA-1608;
• the protein being substantially free from other mammalian proteins.

An isolated protein encoded by a polynucleotide which encodes a species homologue of a protein selected from the group consisting of:

• (a) a protein comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 2;
• (b) a protein comprising a fragment of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 2 having biological activity, the fragment comprising at least eight contiguous amino acids of SEQ ID NO:
• 2;
• (c) a protein comprising a fragment of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 2 having biological activity, the fragment comprising at least twenty contiguous amino acids of SEQ ID NO:
• 2;
• (d) a protein comprising a fragment of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 2 having biological activity, the fragment comprising at least thirty contiguous amino acids of SEQ ID NO:
• 2;
• (e) a protein comprising an amino acid sequence that has at least 30% sequence identity to the protein of SEQ ID NO:
• 2;
• (f) a protein comprising an amino acid sequence that has at least 45% sequence identity to the protein of SEQ ID NO:
• 2;
• and
• (g) a protein comprising an amino acid sequence that has at least 60% sequence identity to the protein of SEQ ID NO:
• 2.

A process for producing a protein encoded by a polynucleotide selected from the group consisting of:

• (a) a polynucleotide comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 1;
• (b) a polynucleotide comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 2 from nucleotide 95 to nucleotide 991;
• (c) a polynucleotide comprising the nucleotide sequence of the full-length protein coding sequence of clone WA15—1i deposited under accession number ATCC PTA-1608;
• (d) a polynucleotide encoding the full-length protein encoded by the cDNA insert of clone WA15—1i deposited under accession number ATCC PTA-1608;
• (e) a polynucleotide comprising the nucleotide sequence of a mature protein coding sequence of clone WA15—1i deposited under accession number ATCC PTA-1608;
• (f) a polynucleotide encoding a mature protein encoded by the cDNA insert of clone WA15—1i deposited under accession number ATCC PTA-1608;
• (g) a polynucleotide encoding a protein comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 2;
• (h) a polynucleotide encoding a protein comprising a fragment of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 2 having biological activity, the fragment comprising at least eight contiguous amino acids of SEQ ID NO:
• 2;
• (i) a polynucleotide encoding a protein comprising a fragment of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 2 having biological activity, the fragment comprising at least twenty contiguous amino acids of SEQ ID NO:
• 2;
• (j) a polynucleotide encoding a protein comprising a fragment of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 2 having biological activity, the fragment comprising at least thirty contiguous amino acids of SEQ ID NO:
• 2;
• and
• (k) a polynucleotide which is an allelic variant of a polynucleotide of (a)-(j) above;
• which process comprises:
• (a) growing a culture of a host cell transformed with a vector comprising said polynucleotide in a suitable culture medium;
• and
• (b) purifying said protein from the culture.

A process for producing a protein encoded by a polynucleotide selected from the group consisting of:

• (a) a polynucleotide encoding a species homologue of a protein comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 2;
• (b) a polynucleotide encoding a species homologue of a protein comprising a fragment of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 2 having biological activity, the fragment comprising at least eight contiguous amino acids of SEQ ID NO:
• 2;
• (c) a polynucleotide encoding a species homologue of a protein comprising a fragment of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 2 having biological activity, the fragment comprising at least twenty contiguous amino acids of SEQ ID NO:
• 2;
• and
• (d) a polynucleotide encoding a species homologue of a protein comprising a fragment of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 2 having biological activity, the fragment comprising at least thirty contiguous amino acids of SEQ ID NO:
• 2. which process comprises:
• (a) growing a culture of a host cell transformed with a vector comprising said polynucleotide in a suitable culture medium;
• and
• (b) purifying said protein from the culture.

An isolated polynucleotide comprising a species homologue selected from the group consisting of:

• (a) a polynucleotide comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 1;
• (b) a polynucleotide comprising a nucleotide sequence having at least 60% sequence identity to the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 1;
• (c) a polynucleotide comprising a nucleotide sequence having at least 75% sequence identity to the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 1;
• and
• (d) a polynucleotide comprising a nucleotide sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 1.