Endometriosis cell targeting peptide and uses thereof

1. An isolated nucleic acid comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding a targeting peptide that selectively binds an endometriosis cell, wherein the targeting peptide comprises at least 9 amino acids, wherein the targeting peptide is 50 amino acids in length or less, wherein the targeting peptide has at least 70% sequence identity with SEQ ID NO:3, wherein any variation from SEQ ID NO:3 is a conservative amino acid substitution, wherein the targeting peptide can be expressed from the nucleic acid, and wherein the isolated nucleic acid further comprises a sequence controlling expression of the nucleic acid.

2. An isolated nucleic acid comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding a targeting sequence that selectively bind an endometriosis cell, wherein the targeting peptide comprises the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:3 wherein the targeting peptide is 50 amino acids in length or less, wherein the targeting peptide can be expressed from the nucleic acid, and wherein the isolated nucleic acid further comprises a sequence controlling expression of the nucleic acid.

3. The isolated nucleic acid of claim 1 , wherein the nucleic acid further comprises a nucleic acid sequence encoding a known effector molecule.

4. The isolated nucleic acid of claim 3 , wherein the nucleic acid sequence encoding the effector molecule is 5′ to the nucleic acid sequence encoding the targeting peptide.

5. The isolated nucleic acid of claim 3 , wherein the nucleic acid sequence encoding the effector molecule is 3′ to the nucleic acid sequence encoding the targeting peptide.

6. The isolated nucleic acid of claim 3 , wherein the nucleic acid encodes a fusion protein comprising the targeting peptide and the effector molecule.

7. The isolated nucleic acid of claim 1 , wherein the targeting peptide has at least 85% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:3.

8. An isolated nucleic acid comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding a targeting peptide that selectively binds an endometriosis cell, wherein the targeting peptide comprises at least 9 amino acids, wherein the targeting peptide can be expressed from the nucleic acid, wherein the targeting peptide comprises the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:2.

9. An isolated nucleic acid comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding a targeting peptide that selectively binds an endometriosis cell, wherein the targeting peptide comprises at least 9 amino acids, wherein the targeting peptide can be expressed from the nucleic acid, wherein the targeting peptide comprises the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:3.

10. An isolated nucleic acid comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding a targeting peptide that selectively binds an endometriosis cell, wherein the targeting peptide comprises at least 9 amino acids, wherein the targeting peptide can be expressed from the nucleic acid, wherein the targeting peptide comprises the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:4.

11. The isolated nucleic acid of claim 1 , wherein the targeting peptide is expressed from the nucleic acid.

12. The isolated nucleic acid of claim 1 , wherein the targeting peptide has at least 89% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:3.

13. The isolated nucleic acid of claim 1 , wherein the amino acid at position 5 is asparagine or a conservative variant thereof, or aspartic acid or a conservative variant thereof, wherein the amino acid at position 7 is leucine or a conservative variant thereof, or arginine or a conservative variant thereof

14. The isolated nucleic acid of claim 1 , wherein the amino acid at position 5 is asparagine, aspartic acid, glutamine, glutamic acid, or histidine, wherein the amino acid at position 7 is leucine, arginine, isoleucine, valine, lysine, or glutamine.

15. An isolated nucleic acid comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding a targeting peptide that selectively binds an endometriosis cell,

wherein the targeting peptide comprises at least 9 amino acids,

wherein the targeting peptide is 50 amino acids in length or less,

wherein the targeting peptide comprises the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1, wherein the amino acids at position 5 and 7, respectively, are asparagine and arginine or aspartic acid and leucine, and wherein the targeting peptide can be expressed from the nucleic acid.

16. An isolated nucleic acid comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding a targeting peptide that selectively binds an endometriosis cell, wherein the targeting peptide comprises at least 9 amino acids, wherein the targeting peptide is 50 amino acids in length or less, wherein the targeting peptide has at least 70% sequence identity with SEQ ID NO:2, 4, 7, or 8, wherein any variation from SEQ ID NO:2, 4, 7, or 8 is a conservative amino acid substitution, and wherein the isolated nucleic acid further comprises a sequence controlling expression of the nucleic acid.

17. The isolated nucleic acid of claim 16 , wherein the targeting peptide has at least 85% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:2, 4, 7, or 8.

18. The isolated nucleic acid of claim 16 , wherein the targeting peptide has at least 89% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:2, 4, 7, or 8.

19. The isolated nucleic acid of claim 16 , wherein any variation from SEQ ID NO:2, 4, 7, or 8 is a conservative amino acid substitution at position 5, position 7, or both.

20. An isolated nucleic acid comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding a targeting peptide that selectively binds to an endometriosis cell, wherein the targeting peptide comprises at least 9 amino acids, wherein the targeting peptide is 50 amino acids in length or less, wherein the targeting peptide comprises the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:2, 3, 4, 7, or 8.

21. An isolated nucleic acid comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding a targeting peptide that selectively binds an endometriosis cell, wherein the targeting peptide comprises at least 9 amino acids, wherein the targeting peptide has at least 89% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:4 or 8 wherein any variation from SEQ ID NO: 4 or 8 is a conservative amino acid substitution.

22. The isolated nucleic acid of claim 16 , wherein the wherein the targeting peptide has at least 70% sequence identity with SEQ ID NO:2.

23. The isolated nucleic acid of claim 16 , wherein the wherein the targeting peptide has at least 70% sequence identity with SEQ ID NO:4.

24. The isolated nucleic acid of claim 16 , wherein the wherein the targeting peptide has at least 70% sequence identity with SEQ ID NO:7.

25. The isolated nucleic acid of claim 16 , wherein the wherein the targeting peptide has at least 70% sequence identity with SEQ ID NO:8.

26. The isolated nucleic acid of claim 19 , wherein the wherein the targeting peptide has at least 70% sequence identity with SEQ ID NO:2.

27. The isolated nucleic acid of claim 19 , wherein the wherein the targeting peptide has at least 70% sequence identity with SEQ ID NO:3.

28. The isolated nucleic acid of claim 19 , wherein the wherein the targeting peptide has at least 70% sequence identity with SEQ ID NO:4.

29. The isolated nucleic acid of claim 19 , wherein the wherein the targeting peptide has at least 70% sequence identity with SEQ ID NO:7.

30. The isolated nucleic acid of claim 19 , wherein the wherein the targeting peptide has at least 70% sequence identity with SEQ ID NO:8.