Systems and methods for characterizing and treating disease
Provided herein are composition and methods for characterizing and treating disease. In particular, provided herein are compositions and methods for characterizing and treating disease (e.g., cancer) associated with activation of LINE-1 retroelements.
1 . A method for treating a human subject having lung cancer, comprising
(a) obtaining a blood sample from a human subject, wherein the human subject has lung cancer,
(b) obtaining lung cancer cell exosomes from the blood sample,
(c) assaying the lung cancer exosomes to detect an increased level of LINE-1 ORF1 polypeptide relative to LINE-1 ORF1 polypeptide levels in non-cancerous lung cell exosomes, and
(d) administering a nucleolin antagonist to the human subject having an increased level of LINE-1 ORF1 polypeptide in the lung cancer cell exosomes relative to the non-cancerous lung cell exosomes, wherein the nucleolin antagonist is N6L.
2 . A method for treating lung cancer in a human subject, wherein the method comprises administering to a subject having lung cancer a pharmaceutical composition comprising a nucleolin antagonist, wherein the nucleolin antagonist is N6L, wherein the human subject having lung cancer has an increased level of LINE-1 ORF1 polypeptide in lung cancer cell exosomes obtained from the human subject relative to LINE-1 ORF1 polypeptide levels in non-cancerous lung cell exosomes.
3 . The method of claim 1 ,
wherein the assaying comprises detecting LINE-1 ORF1 polypeptide in the exosomes by Western blot or immunoelectron microscopy.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the nucleolin antagonist N6L is administered intraperitoneally at a dosage of about 10 mg/kg/day.