Pancreatic cancer genes
The present invention provides the art with the DNA coding sequences of polynucleotides that are up-or-down-regulated in cancer and dysplasia. These polynucleotides and encoded proteins or polypeptides can be used in the diagnosis or identification of cancer and dysplasia. Inhibitors of the up-regulated polynucleotides and proteins can decrease the abnormality of cancer and dysplasia. Enhancing the expression of down-regulated polynucleotides or introducing down-regulated proteins to cells can decrease the growth and/or abnormal characteristics of cancer and dysplasia.
1. A method of identifying human pancreatic cells as being cancerous comprising the steps of:
determining the amount of an expression product of the entire sequence of SEQ ID NO: 15, or the complement thereof, or a naturally occurring variant of SEQ ID NO: 15 with no more than 5% of base pair mismatches to SEQ ID NO: 15, or the complement thereof, in sample human pancreatic cells suspected of being cancerous and in normal human pancreatic cells, wherein said expression product is a mRNA molecule, further wherein said amount of said expression product is determined with nucleic acid hybridization or nucleic acid amplification using at least one probe or primer comprising at least 12 contiguous nucleotides from and specific to the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 15 or its complement;
comparing the determined amounts of said expression product; and
identifying sample human pancreatic cells which contain more of said expression product than the normal human pancreatic cells as being cancerous.
2. A method of identifying human pancreatic cells as being dysplastic or cancerous comprising the steps of:
determining the amount of an expression product expressed from the entire sequence of SEQ ID NO: 15, or the complement thereof, or a naturally occurring variant of SEQ ID NO: 15 with no more than 5% of base pair mismatches to SEQ ID NO: 15, or the complement thereof, in sample human pancreatic cells suspected of being dysplastic or cancerous and in normal human pancreatic cells, wherein said expression product is a mRNA molecule, further wherein said amount of said expression product is determined with nucleic acid hybridization or nucleic acid amplification using at least one probe or primer comprising at least 12 contiguous nucleotides from and specific to the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 15 or its complement;
comparing the determined amounts of said expression product; and
identifying sample human pancreatic cells which contain more of said expression product than the normal human pancreatic cells as being dysplastic or cancerous.
3. A method of identifying human pancreatic cells as being dysplastic comprising the steps of:
determining the amount of an expression product A expressed from an isolated subgenomic polynucleotide comprising the entire sequence of SEQ ID NO: 15, or the complement thereof, or a naturally occurring variant of SEQ ID NO: 15 with no more than 5% of base pair mismatches to SEQ ID NO: 15, or the complement thereof, and the amount of an expression product B expressed from (a) a polynucleotide having the entire sequence of SEQ ID NO: 7, or the complement thereof, or (b) a naturally occurring variant of (a) with no more than 5% of base pair mismatches to (a), or the complement thereof, in sample human pancreatic cells suspected of being cancerous and in normal human pancreatic cells, wherein said expression products A and B are both mRNA, further wherein said amounts of said expression products A and B are determined with nucleic acid hybridization or nucleic acid amplification using at least one probe or primer comprising at least 12 contiguous nucleotides from and specific to the sequences of SEQ ID NOS: 15 and 7, respectively, or their respective complements;
comparing the determined amounts; and
identifying sample human pancreatic cells which contain more of said expression products than the normal human pancreatic cells as being dysplastic.
4. The method of claim 1 , 2 or 3 , wherein said naturally occurring variant of SEQ ID NO: 15 comprises no more than 2% of base pair mismatches to SEQ ID NO: 15.
5. The method of claim 3 , wherein said naturally occurring variant of (a) comprises no more than 2% of base pair mismatches to (a).
6. The method of claim 1 , 2 or 3 , wherein said determining step comprises nucleic acid hybridization.
7. The method of claim 1 , 2 or 3 , wherein said determining step comprises nucleic acid amplification.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein said determining step comprises RT-PCR.
9. The method of claim 4 , wherein said naturally occurring variant of SEQ ID NO: 15 comprises no more than 1% of base pair mismatches to SEQ ID NO: 15.
10. The method of claim 5 , wherein said naturally occurring variant of (a) comprises no more than 1% of base pair mismatches to (a).
11. The method of claim 1 or 2 , wherein said amount of said expression product is determined using at least one probe or primer comprising at least 14 contiguous nucleotides from and specific to the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 15 or its complement.
12. The method of claim 3 , wherein said amount of said expression product B is determined using at least one probe or primer comprising at least 14 contiguous nucleotides from and specific to the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 7 or its complement.
13. The method of claim 3 , wherein said amount of said expression product A is determined using at least one probe or primer comprising at least 14 contiguous nucleotides from and specific to the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 15 or its complement.
14. The method of claim 3 , wherein said expression product B comprises a mRNA molecule that is the complement of the minus strand of a double-stranded polynucleotide sequence, wherein said double-stranded polynucleotide sequence comprises said polynucleotide of (a) or (b).