CDNA for human and pig dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Department of Health and Human Services
InventorsFrank J. Gonzalez, Pedro Fernandez-Salguero
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Abstract
The invention relates to methods and compositions that are useful for detecting deficiencies in dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) levels in mammals including humans. Cancer patients having a DPD deficiency are at risk of a severe toxic reaction to the commonly used anticancer agent 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). Claimed are DPD genes from human and pig, methods for detecting the level of nucleic acids that encode DPD in a patient, and nucleic acids that are useful as probes for this purpose. Also claimed are methods for expressing DPD in heterologous organisms. Expression vectors that employ a DPD nucleic acid as a selectable marker are also claimed. This selectable marker functions in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes.
Claims13
An isolated nucleic acid encoding a dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) protein wherein the nucleic acid selectively hybridizes, under stringent hybridizing conditions, to a second nucleic acid consisting of the nucleotide sequence of Seq. ID No. 1 or Seq. ID No. 3 or an isolated nucleic acid which encodes seq ID Nos:2 or 4.
An isolated oligonucleotide probe that selectively hybrids, under stringent hybriding conditions, to SEQ ID NO:1 or 3, wherein said probe does not selectively hybridize, under stringent hybridizing conditions, to a non-DPD nucleic acid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.