Nucleic acids encoding secreted polypeptides that stimulate release of proteoglycans from cartilage

An isolated nucleic acid comprising:

• (a) a nucleic acid sequence encoding the polypeptide shown in FIG. 2 (SEQ ID NO:2);
• (b) a nucleic acid sequence encoding the polypeptide shown in FIG. 2 (SEQ ID NO:2), lacking its associated signal peptide;
• (c) the nucleic acid sequence shown in FIG. 1 (SEQ ID NO:1);
• (d) the full-length coding sequence of the nucleic acid sequence shown in FIG. 1 (SEQ ID NO:1);
• or
• (e) the full-length coding sequence of the cDNA deposited under ATCC accession number 209526.

An isolated nucleic acid that hybridizes under high stringency conditions to:

• (a) a nucleic acid sequence encoding the polypeptide shown in FIG. 2 (SEQ ID NO:2);
• (b) a nucleic acid sequence encoding the polypeptide shown in FIG. 2 (SEQ ID NO:2), lacking its associated signal peptide;
• (c) the nucleic acid sequence shown in FIG. 1 (SEQ ID NO:1);
• (d) the full-length coding sequence of the nucleic acid sequence shown in FIG. 1 (SEQ ID NO:1);
• or
• (e) the full-length coding sequence of the cDNA deposited under ATCC accession number 209526
• wherein said isolated nucleic acid encodes a polypeptide which stimulates release of proteoglycans from cartilage tissue and wherein said high stringency conditions are selected from the group consisting of:
• (i) 0.015 M sodium chloride/0.0015 M sodium citrate/0.1% sodium dodecyl sulfate at 50° C.;
• (ii) 50% (v/v) formamide with 0.1% bovine serum albumin/0.1% Ficoll/0.1% polyvinylpyrrolidone/50 mM sodium phosphate buffer at pH 6/5 with 750 mM sodium chloride, 75 mM sodium citrate at 42° C.;
• and (iii) 50% formamide, 5×SSC (0.75 M sodium chloride, 0.075 M Sodium citrate), 50 mM sodium phosphate (pH 6.8),0.1% sodium pyrophosphhate, 5× Denhardt's solution, sonicated salmon sperm DNA (50 μg/ml), 0.1% sodium dodecyl sulphate, and 10% dextran sulfate at 42° C., with washes at 42° C. in 0.2×SSC (0.75 M sodium chloride, 0.075 M sodium citrate) and 50% formamide at 55° C. followed by a high-stringency wash consisting of 0.1×SSC (0.75 M sodium chloride, 0.075 N sodium citrate) containing EDTA at 55° C.