BNP(1-32) epitope and antibodies directed against said epitope

1. A method for preparing antibodies directed against human BNP(1-32) or human proBNP(1-108) as well as fragments of human BNP(132) or of human proBNP(1-108) comprising sequence FGRKMDR (SEQ ID NO: 51), comprising the steps of

injecting an animal with a polypeptide coupled to an immunogenic carrier protein, wherein the polypeptide is selected from the group consisting of a 1 -SGCFGRKMDR-a 2 (SEQ ID NO: 33), a 1 -GCFGRKMDRI-a 2 , (SEQ ID NO: 34), a 1 -CFGRKMDRIS-a 2 (SEQ ID NO: 35), a 1 -FGRKMDRISS-a 2 (SEQ ID NO: 36), and a 1 -FGRKMDR-a 2 (SEQ ID NO: 51), wherein a 1 is H, a thiol group, alcohol group, aminoxy group, primary amine or secondary amine functional group, an amino carboxyl group, a biotinyl group, or an acetyl group, and wherein a 2 is OH, an NH 2 functional group, or an alcoxyl group, and

recovering from the animal produced antibodies directed against human BNP(1-32) or human proBNP(1-108) as well as fragments of human BNP(1-32) or of human proBNP(1-108) comprising the sequence FGRKMDR (SEQ ID NO: 51).

2. A hybridoma deposited on Apr. 13, 2007 at the CNCM (Collection Nationale de Cultures de Microorganismes, Institut Pasteur, 25, rue du Docteur Roux, 75 724 Paris Cedex 15, France) under registration number CNCM I-3746.

3. A ligand specifically recognizing an epitope consisting of the sequence FGRKMDR (SEQ ID NO: 51) and not interacting substantially with any of the peptide sequences VQGSGCFGR (SEQ ID NO; 21), SPKMVQGSGC (SEQ ID NO: 22), MDRISSSSGLG (SEQ ID NO: 23), RKMDRI (SEQ ID NO: 24), and RKMDRISS (SEQ ID NO: 25), wherein said ligand is selected from the group consisting of an antibody and a fragment of said antibody which specifically recognizes the epitope, each of the antibody and the fragment of said antibody containing all the Complementary Determining Regions (CDR) of, as arranged in, the monoclonal antibody produced by the hybridoma deposited on Apr. 13, 2007 at the CNCM (Collection Nationale de Cultures de Microorganismes, Institut Pasteur, 25, rue du Docteur Roux, 75 724 Paris Cedex 15, France) under registration number CNCM I-3746.

4. A method for detecting, in a biological sample, human BNP(1-32) or a derivative of human proBNP(1-108) containing sequence FGRKMDR (SEQ ID NO: 51), comprising the steps of

1) contacting the biological sample with at least one ligand specifically recognizing an epitope consisting of the sequence FGRKMDR (SEQ ID NO: 51) and not interacting substantially with any of the peptide sequences VQGSGCFGR (SEQ ID NO: 21), SPKMVQGDGC (SEQ ID NO: 22), MDRISSSSGLG (SEQ ID NO: 23), RKMDRI (SEQ ID NO: 24), and RKMDRISS (SEQ ID NO: 25), wherein said ligand is selected from the group consisting of an antibody and a fragment of said antibody which specifically recognizes the epitope, under conditions allowing antigen-ligand complexes to form, each of the antibody and the fragment of said antibody containing all the Complementary Determining Regions (CDR) of, as arranged in, the monoclonal antibody produced by the hybridoma deposited on Apr. 13, 2007 at the CNCM (Collection Nationale de Cultures de Microorganismes, Institut Pasteur, 25, rue du Docteur Roux, 75 724 Paris Cedex 15, France) under registration Number CNCM I-3746 and

2) detecting any said complexes which may have formed.

5. A multiepitopic calibrator having the following general formula (III):

t 1 -E 1 -L 1 -E 2 [-L k-1 -E k ] n - t 2   (III)

wherein:

n is an integer between 0 and 8;

k is an integer between 3 and n+2 When n>0;

E 1 , E 2 , and E k are different from one another, one representing the peptide sequence FGRKMDR (SEQ ID NO: 51) except that when n is 0, one of E 1 and E 2 represents the peptide sequence FGRKMDR (SEQ. ID NO: 51),

and the others representing a sequence of 3 to 1.5 amino acids comprised in the sequence of human proBNP (1-108);

t 1 represents a hydrogen atom, an acetyl group, a peptide sequence of 1 to 10 amino acids, a peptide sequence of 1 to 10 N-α acetylated amino acids, a biotinyl or biocytinyl group, a peptide sequence of 1 to 10 amino acids carrying a biotinyl or biocytinyl radical, or a linear amino alkyl (C 1 -C 10 ) carbonyl chain;

t 2 represents a hydroxyl radical, an amino radical, a peptide sequence of 1 to 10 amino acids, a peptide sequence of 1 to 10 amino acids carrying a terminal amino group, or a linear or branched amino alkyl (C 1 -C 10 ) carbonyl chain; and

L 1 and L k represent —NH—(CH 2 ) 5 —CO—.

6. The multiepitopic calibrator according to claim 5 comprising the following general formula (V):

t 1 -E 1 -E 2 - t 2   (V).

7. The multiepitopic calibrator according to claim 5 , selected from the group consisting of the multiepitopic calibrators defined by the following formulae:

Ac-YTLRAPRSPKMVQG-L 1 -FGRKMDR-NH 2 (SEQ ID NO: 56 and SEQ ID NO: 51);

Ac-FGRKMDR-L 1 -SGLGC*KVLRRH-OH(SEQ ID NO: 51 and SEQ ID NO: 68);

Ac-FGRKMDR-L 1 -SGLGC*KVLR-NH 2 (SEQ ID NO: 51 and SEQ ID NO: 69);

Ac-SPKMVQGSG-L 1 -FGRKMDR-NH 2 (SEQ ID NO: 59 and SEQ ID NO: 51);

Ac-YTLRAPRSPKMV-L 1 -FGRKMDR-L 2 -SGLGC*KVLRRH-OH(SEQ ID NO: 66 and SEQ ID NO: 51 and SEQ ID NO: 68); and

Ac-YTLRAPRSPKMV-L 1 -FGRKMDR-L 2 -SGLGC*KVLR-NH(SEQ ID NO: 66 and SEQ ID NO: 51 and SEQ ID NO: 69);

wherein Ac represents an acetyl group and C* represents an acetamidomethyl-blocked cysteine.

8. A kit for detecting human BNP(1-32) or human proBNP(1-108) as well as fragments of human BNP(1-32) or of human proBNP(1-108) comprising sequence FGRKMDR (SEQ ID NO: 51), comprising

(a) a ligand specifically recognizing an epitope consisting of the sequence FGRKMDR (SEQ ID NO: 51) and not interacting substantially with any of the peptide sequences VQGSGCFGR (SEQ ID NO:21), SPKMVQGSGC (SEQ ID NO: 22), MDRISSSSGLG (SEQ ID NO: 23), RKMDRI (SEQ ID NO: 24), and RKMDRISS (SEQ ID NO:25), wherein said ligand is selected from the group consisting of an antibody and a fragment of said antibody which specifically recognizes the epitope, each of the antibody and the fragment of said antibody containing all the Complementary Determining Regions (CDR) of, as arranged in, the monoclonal antibody produced by the hybridoma deposited on Apr. 13, 2007 as the CNCM (Collection Nationale de Cultures do Microorganismes, Institut Pasteur, 25, rue du Docteur Roux, 75 724 Paris Cedex 15, France) under registration number CNCM I-3746, and

(b) a multiepitopic calibrator having the following general formula (III):

t 1 -E 1 -E 2 [-L k-1 -E k ] n - t 2   (III)

wherein:

n is an integer between 0 and 8;

k is an integer between 3 and n+2 when n>0;

E 1 , E 2 , and E k are different from one another, one representing the peptide sequence FGRKMDR (SEQ ID NO: 51) except that when n is 0, one of E 1 and E 2 represents the peptide sequence FGRKMDR (SEQ ID NO: 51),

and the others representing a sequence of 3 to 15 amino acids comprised in the sequence of human proBNP(1-108);

t 1 represents a hydrogen atom, an acetyl group, a peptide sequence of 1 to 10 amino acids, a peptide sequence of 1 to 10 N-α acetylated amino acids, a biotinyl or biocytinyl group, a peptide sequence of 1 to 10 amino acids carrying a biotinyl or biocytinyl radical, or a linear amino alkyl (C 1 -C 10 ) carbonyl chain;

t 2 represents a hydroxyl, radical, an amino radical, a peptide sequence of 1 to 10 amino acids, a peptide sequence of 1 to 10 amino acids carrying a terminal amino group, or a linear or branched amino alkyl (C 1 -C 10 ) carbonyl chain; and

L 1 and L k represent —NH—(CH 2 ) 5 —CO—.