ANTI-TUMOR AGENTS COMPRISING R-SPONDINS

1 - 9 . (canceled)

10 . A method of treating a tumor, which comprises administering to a human, as an active ingredient, a molecule that is (a) a human R-spondin or (b) a fragment thereof that has human R-spondin activity, wherein said molecule is selected from (i) to (xii) below:

(i) R-spondin 1 having the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO:3 or a fragment thereof which has human R-sopndin 1 activity;

(ii) R-spondin 1 variant having the amino acid sequence derived from the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO:3 by deletion, substitution, or addition of 1 to 5 amino acids and has R-spondin 1 activity, or a fragment thereof which has human R-spondin 1 activity;

(iii) R-spondin 1 having the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO:6 or a fragment thereof which has human R-sopndin 1 activity;

(iv) R-spondin 1 variant having the amino acid sequence derived from the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 6 by deletion, substitution, or addition of 1 to 5 amino acids and has R-spondin 1 activity, or a fragment thereof which has human R-spondin 1 activity;

(v) R-spondin 1 having the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 7 or a fragment thereof which has human R-sopndin 1 activity;

(vi) R-spondin 1 variant having the amino acid sequence derived from the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO:7 by deletion, substitution, or addition of 1 to 5 amino acids and has R-spondin 1 activity, or a fragment thereof which has human R-spondin 1 activity;

(vii) R-spondin 2 having the amino acid sequence represented by 22nd amino acid to 206th amino acid of SEQ ID NO:13 or a fragment thereof which has human R-sopndin 2 activity;

(viii) R-spondin 2 variant having the amino acid sequence derived from the amino acid sequence represented by 22nd amino acid to 206th amino acid of SEQ ID NO:13 by deletion, substitution, or addition of 1 to 5 amino acids and has R-spondin 2 activity, or a fragment thereof which has human R-sopndin 2 activity;

(ix) R-spondin 3 having the amino acid sequence represented by 22nd amino acid to 272nd amino acid of SEQ ID NO: 15 or a fragment thereof which has human R-sopndin 3 activity;

(x) R-spondin 3 variant having the amino acid sequence derived from the amino acid sequence represented by 22nd amino acid to 272nd amino acid of SEQ ID NO:15 by deletion, substitution, or addition of 1 to 5 amino acids and has R-spondin 3 activity, or a fragment thereof which has human R-sopndin 3 activity;

(xi) R-spondin 4 having the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO:17 or a fragment thereof which has human R-spondin 4 activity; and

(xii) R-spondin 4 variant having the amino acid sequence derived from the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO:17 by deletion, substitution, or addition of 1 to 5 amino acids and has R-spondin 4 activity, or a fragment thereof which has human R-spondin 4 activity.

11 . A method of treating tumor, which comprises administering to a human, as an active ingredient, a DNA that encodes (a) human R-spondin or (b) a fragment thereof that has human R-spondin activity, wherein said DNA is selected from (i) to (xii) below:

(i) a DNA encoding R-spondin 1 having the nucleotide sequence encoding the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO:3 or a fragment thereof which has human R-sopndin 1 activity;

ii) a DNA of R-spondin 1 variant having the nucleotide sequence encoding the amino acid sequence derived from the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO:3 by deletion, substitution, or addition of 1 to 5 amino acids and has R-spondin 1 activity, or a fragment thereof which has human R-spondin 1 activity;

iii) a DNA of R-spondin 1 having the nucleotide sequence encoding the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO:6 or a fragment thereof which has human R-sopndin 1 activity;

iv) a DNA of R-spondin 1 variant having the nucleotide sequence encoding the amino acid sequence derived from the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 6 by deletion, substitution, or addition of 1 to 5 amino acids and has R-spondin 1 activity, or a fragment thereof which has human R-spondin 1 activity;

v) a DNA of R-spondin 1 having the nucleotide sequence encoding the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 7 or a fragment thereof which has human R-sopndin 1 activity;

vi) a DNA of R-spondin 1 variant having the nucleotide sequence encoding the amino acid sequence derived from the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO:7 by deletion, substitution, or addition of 1 to 5 amino acids and has R-spondin 1 activity, or a fragment thereof which has human R-spondin 1 activity;

vii) a DNA of R-spondin 2 having the nucleotide sequence encoding the amino acid sequence represented by 22nd amino acid to 206th amino acid of SEQ ID NO:13 or a fragment thereof which has human R-sopndin 2 activity;

viii) a DNA of R-spondin 2 variant having the nucleotide sequence encoding the amino acid sequence derived from the amino acid sequence represented by 22nd amino acid to 206th amino acid of SEQ ID NO:13 by deletion, substitution, or addition of 1 to 5 amino acids and has R-spondin 3 activity, or a fragment thereof which has human R-sopndin 2 activity;

ix) a DNA of R-spondin 3 having the nucleotide sequence encoding the amino acid sequence represented by 22nd amino acid to 272nd amino acid of SEQ ID NO:15 or a fragment thereof which has human R-sopndin 3 activity;

x) a DNA of R-spondin 3 variant having the nucleotide sequence encoding the amino acid sequence derived from the amino acid sequence represented by 22nd amino acid to 272nd amino acid of SEQ ID NO:15 by deletion, substitution, or addition of 1 to 5 amino acids and has R-spondin 3 activity, or a fragment thereof which has human R-sopndin 3 activity;

xi) a DNA of R-spondin 4 having the nucleotide sequence encoding the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO:17 or a fragment thereof which has human R-spondin 4 activity; and

xii) a DNA of R-spondin 4 variant having the nucleotide sequence encoding the amino acid sequence derived from the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO:17 by deletion, substitution, or addition of 1 to 5 amino acids and has R-spondin 4 activity, or a fragment thereof which has human R-spondin 4 activity.

12 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein the tumor is any one tumor selected from the group consisting of colon cancer, colorectal cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, brain tumor, malignant melanoma, renal cell carcinoma, bladder cancer, leukemia, lymphomas, T cell lymphomas, multiple myeloma, gastric cancer, pancreas cancer, cervical cancer, endometrial carcinoma, ovarian cancer, esophageal cancer, liver cancer, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, cutaneous cancer, urinary tract carcinoma, prostate cancer, choriocarcinoma, pharyngeal cancer, laryngeal cancer, thecomatosis, androblastoma, endometrium hyperplasy, endometriosis, embryoma, fibrosarcoma, Kaposi's sarcoma, hemangioma, cavernous hemangioma, angioblastoma, retinoblastoma, astrocytoma, neurofibroma, oligodendroglioma, medulloblastoma, ganglioneuroblastoma, glioma, rhabdomyosarcoma, hamartoblastoma, osteogenic sarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, thyroid sarcoma, Wilms tumor.

13 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein the tumor is any one tumor selected from the group consisting of colon cancer, colorectal cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, brain tumor, malignant melanoma, renal cell carcinoma, bladder cancer, leukemia, lymphomas, T cell lymphomas, multiple myeloma, gastric cancer, pancreas cancer, cervical cancer, endometrial carcinoma, ovarian cancer, esophageal cancer, liver cancer, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, cutaneous cancer, urinary tract carcinoma, prostate cancer, choriocarcinoma, pharyngeal cancer, laryngeal cancer, thecomatosis, androblastoma, endometrium hyperplasy, endometriosis, embryoma, fibrosarcoma, Kaposi's sarcoma, hemangioma, cavernous hemangioma, angioblastoma, retinoblastoma, astrocytoma, neurofibroma, oligodendroglioma, medulloblastoma, ganglioneuroblastoma, glioma, rhabdomyosarcoma, hamartoblastoma, osteogenic sarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, thyroid sarcoma, Wilms tumor.