Novel chemokine-like polypeptides

A composition of matter comprising:

• a) an isolated polypeptide having chemotactic activity selected from the group consisting of:
• 1) the amino acid sequences SEQ ID NO:
• 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, or 16;
• 2) the mature form of the polypeptides SEQ ID NO:
• 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, or 16;
• 3) the polypeptides comprising the Cysteine-rich region of SEQ ID NO:
• 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, or 16;
• 4) the active variants of the amino acid sequence given by SEQ ID NO:
• 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, or 16 wherein any amino acid specified in the chosen sequence is non-conservatively substituted, provided that no more than 15% of the amino acid residues in the sequence are so changed;
• 5) the active fragments, precursors, salts, or derivatives of the amino acid sequences given in 1) to 4);
• 6) a naturally occurring allelic variant of the sequence given by SEQ ID NO:
• 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, or 16;
• 7) a naturally occurring allelic variant of the sequence given by SEQ ID NO:
• 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, or 16, wherein the variant is the translation of a single nucleotide polymorphism;
• 8) a polypeptide of any of 1) to 7), wherein the polypeptide binds specifically an antibody or a binding protein generated against SEQ ID NO:
• 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, or 16 or a fragment thereof;
• 9) a fusion protein comprising a polypeptide according to any of 1) to 8);
• 10) a fusion protein comprising a polypeptide according to any of 1) to 8), wherein said proteins further comprise one or more amino acid sequence belonging to these protein sequences:
• membrane-bound protein, immunoglobulin constant region, multimerization domains, extracellular proteins, signal peptide-containing proteins, export signal-containing proteins;
• 11) a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid that hybridizes under high stringency conditions with a nucleic acid selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:
• 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, or 15, or a complement of said DNA sequences or exhibits at least about 85% identity over a stretch of at least about 30 nucleotides, with a nucleic acid selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:
• 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, or 15, or a complement of said DNA sequences;
• b) an antagonist of a polypeptide of a1) to a8), wherein said antagonist comprises an amino acid sequence resulting from the modification of one or more residues of said polypeptide;
• c) a ligand:
• 1) that binds specifically to a polypeptide according to any one of a1) to a8);
• 2) that binds specifically to a polypeptide according to any one of a1) to a8) and that antagonizes or inhibits the chemotactic activity of a polypeptide according to any one of a1) to a8);
• 3) which is a monoclonal antibody, a polyclonal antibody, a humanized antibody, an antigen binding fragment, or the extracellular domain of a membrane-bound protein;
• d) an isolated nucleic acid:
• 1) encoding polypeptides of any of a1) to a8), said polypeptides having chemotactic activity;
• 2) encoding the fusion proteins of a9) or a10);
• 3) encoding the antagonists of b);
• 4) comprising a DNA sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:
• 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, or 15, or the complement of said DNA sequences;
• 5) that hybridizes under high stringency conditions with a nucleic acid selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:
• 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, or 15, or a complement of said DNA sequences;
• or
• 6) exhibiting at least about 85% identity over a stretch of at least about 30 nucleotides, with a nucleic acid selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:
• 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, or 15, or a complement of said DNA sequences;
• e) a vector comprising a nucleic acid according to d);
• f) a peptide mimetic designed on the sequence or the structure or both the sequence and structure of a polypeptide according to any one of a1) to a8);
• g) a host cell transformed with a vector or a nucleic acid according to any of d) or e);
• h) a primer comprising SEQ ID NO:
• 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, or 28;
• i) a compound that enhances the expression level of a polypeptide according to any one a1) to a8);
• j) a compound that reduces the expression level of a polypeptide according to any one a1) to a8);
• k) a pharmaceutical composition comprising any one of a) to j) and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier;
• l) a kit for measuring the activity and/or the presence of a chemokine-like polypeptide comprising one or more of the following reagents set forth in a) to k);
• m) a transgenic animal cell that has been transformed with a vector or a nucleic acid according to d) or e), having constitutive or inducible altered expression levels of a polypeptide according to any one of a1) to a8);
• or
• n) a transgenic non-human animal that has been transformed to have enhanced or reduced expression levels of a polypeptide according to a1) to a8).