Neuroprotective properties of GDF-15, a novel member of the TGF-Beta superfamily
AssigneeBiopharm Gesellschaft zur biotechnologischen Entwicklung von Pharmaka mbH
InventorsKlaus Unsicker, Kerstin Krieglstein
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β)-like protein which is derived from neurons and glial cells, and which has a neurotrophic effect on dopaminergic (DAergic) neurons, to nucleic acids coding for the protein, to a vector containing the nucleic acids, to host organisms containing the nucleic acids or the vector, to antibodies directed against the protein, to methods for the production of the nucleic acids, the vector or the protein, to a pharmaceutical composition for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders in mammals and to a diagnostic kit for the detection of said disorders.
Claims8
A method for protecting dopaminergic neurons in a patient against neuronal degeneration, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing a patient in need of said protection;
- and
- administering to said patient at least one substance selected from the group consisting of:
- a) a GDF-15 protein of the TGF-β superfamily or a functionally active derivative or part thereof;
- b) a protein comprising the sequence shown in FIG. 7B (SEQ ID NO. 3), or homologs thereof having conservative amino acid substitutions;
- c) a protein comprising the sequence shown in FIG. 8B (SEQ ID NO. 4), or homologs thereof having conservative amino acid substitutions;
- d) a protein comprising amino acids 14 to 111 of the sequence shown in FIG. 8B (SEQ ID NO. 4), or homologs thereof having conservative amino acid substitutions;
- e) a nucleotide sequence encoding a protein according to a) to d);
- f) a vector containing at least the nucleotide sequence according to e);
- and
- g) an agonist as a substitute of the protein according to a) to d).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.