Antibody tools for the diagnostic use in the medical therapy with inhibitors of histone deacetylases

1. A method for the diagnosis of or the prognosis of a treatment for a disorder with an HDAC inhibitor comprising

(a) contacting a sample obtained from a tissue affected by the disorder with a monoclonal antibody which is

(1) monoclonal antibody T25 which is obtainable from the cell line G2M-T25-H4ac deposited at DSMZ (accession no. ACC2578); or

(2) monoclonal antibody T52 which is obtainable from the cell line G2M-T52-ac deposited at DSMZ (accession no. ACC2579);

wherein each of said T25 or T52 monoclonal antibody is capable of binding to acetylated histone but not to deacetylated histone; and

(b) determining the level of histone acetylation in the sample with said T25 or said T52 antibody;

wherein lowered level of histone acetylation in said sample compared to that of a reference sample is indicative that said disorder is treatable with said HDAC inhibitor.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the antibody is the antibody T25 which is obtainable from the cell line G2M-T25-H4ac deposited at DSMZ (accession no. ACC2578).

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein the antibody is the antibody T52 which is obtainable from the cell line G2M-T52-ac deposited at DSMZ (accession no. ACC2579).

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein the disorder is

a tumor disease wherein induction of hyperacetylation of histones has a beneficial effect resulting in differentiation and/or apoptosis of a patient's tumor cells,

a disease that show aberrant recruitment of HDAC activity,

a condition associated with abnormal gene expression,

an autoimmune disease, or

a proliferative disease.

5. A method according to claim 4 wherein the disorder is, melanoma, estrogen receptor-dependent and independent breast cancer, ovarian cancer, testosterone receptor-dependent and independent prostate cancer, colon and colorectal cancer, stomach cancer, head and neck cancer, small cell and non-small cell lung carcinoma, leukemia, lymphomas or thyroid resistance syndrome.

6. A method according to claim 1 wherein in step (b) the level of histone acetylation in the sample is determined by flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry, ELISA or Western Blotting.

7. A method according to claim 1 wherein the reference sample is a sample obtained from a tissue from a healthy individual that corresponds to the tissue affected by the disorder and said method comprises processing the reference sample according to steps (a) and (b).

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein the reference sample is a sample obtained from tissue affected by the disorder which has been contacted with an HDAC inhibitor and said method comprises processing the reference sample according to steps (a) and (b).

9. A method for the classification of a tumor comprising

(a) contacting a sample obtained from a tissue affected by the tumor with a monoclonal antibody which is

(1) monoclonal antibody T25 which is obtainable from the cell line G2M-T25-H4ac deposited at DSMZ (accession no. ACC2578);

(2) monoclonal antibody T52 which is obtainable from the cell line G2M-T52-ac deposited at DSMZ (accession no. ACC2579); or

(3) a conjugate of (1) or (2);

wherein each of said T25 or T52 monoclonal antibody is capable of binding to acetylated histonebut not to deacetylated histone; and

(b) determining the level of histone acetylation in the sample with said T25 or said T52 antibody;

wherein lowered level of histone acetylation in said sample compared to that of a reference sample is indicative that said tumor is treatable with an HDAC inhibitor.

10. The method according to claim 9 wherein the conjugate comprises a radioactive compound.

11. The method according to claim 9 wherein the conjugate comprises a chemotherapeutic or cytotoxic agent.

12. The method according to claim 9 wherein the conjugate is released by proteolytic cleavage.