PRO1303 polypeptides (26-May-2009)

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of, and claims priority under 35 USC §120 to, U.S. application Ser. No. 09/946,374 filed Sep. 4, 2001 now abandoned which is a continuation of, and claims priority under 35 USC §120 to, PCT Application PCT/US00/04342 filed Feb. 18, 2000, which claims priority under 35 USC §119 to U.S. Provisional Application 60/162,506 filed Oct. 29, 1999, where PCT Application PCT/US00/04342 is a continuation-in-part of, and claims priority under 35 USC §120 to, PCT Application PCT/US99/28313 filed Nov. 30, 1999, which is a continuation-in-part of, and claims priority under 35 USC §120 to, U.S. application Ser. No. 09/403,297 filed Oct. 18, 1999, now abandoned, which is the National Stage filed under 35 USC §371 of PCT Application PCT/US99/20111 filed Sep. 1, 1999, which claims priority under 35 USC §119 to U.S. Provisional Application 60/100,584 filed Sep. 16, 1998.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the identification and isolation of novel DNA and to the recombinant production of novel polypeptides.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Extracellular proteins play important roles in, among other things, the formation, differentiation and maintenance of multicellular organisms. The fate of many individual cells, e.g., proliferation, migration, differentiation, or interaction with other cells, is typically governed by information received from other cells and/or the immediate environment. This information is often transmitted by secreted polypeptides (for instance, mitogenic factors, survival factors, cytotoxic factors, differentiation factors, neuropeptides, and hormones) which are, in turn, received and interpreted by diverse cell receptors or membrane-bound proteins. These secreted polypeptides or signaling molecules normally pass through the cellular secretory pathway to reach their site of action in the extracellular environment.

Secreted proteins have various industrial applications, including as pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, biosensors and bioreactors. Most protein drugs available at present, such as thrombolytic agents, interferons, interleukins, erythropoietins, colony stimulating factors, and various other cytokines, are secretory proteins. Their receptors, which are membrane proteins, also have potential as therapeutic or diagnostic agents. Efforts are being undertaken by both industry and academia to identify new, native secreted proteins. Many efforts are focused on the screening of mammalian recombinant DNA libraries to identify the coding sequences for novel secreted proteins. Examples of screening methods and techniques are described in the literature [see, for example, Klein et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 93:7108-7113 (1996); U.S. Pat. No. 5,536,637)].

Membrane-bound proteins and receptors can play important roles in, among other things, the formation, differentiation and maintenance of multicellular organisms. The fate of many individual cells, e.g., proliferation, migration, differentiation, or interaction with other cells, is typically governed by information received from other cells and/or the immediate environment. This information is often transmitted by secreted polypeptides (for instance, mitogenic factors, survival factors, cytotoxic factors, differentiation factors, neuropeptides, and hormones) which are, in turn, received and interpreted by diverse cell receptors or membrane-bound proteins. Such membrane-bound proteins and cell receptors include, but are not limited to, cytokine receptors, receptor kinases, receptor phosphatases, receptors involved in cell-cell interactions, and cellular adhesin molecules like selectins and integrins. For instance, transduction of signals that regulate cell growth and differentiation is regulated in part by phosphorylation of various cellular proteins. Protein tyrosine kinases, enzymes that catalyze that process, can also act as growth factor receptors. Examples include fibroblast growth factor receptor and nerve growth factor receptor.

Membrane-bound proteins and receptor molecules have various industrial applications, including as pharmaceutical and diagnostic agents. Receptor immunoadhesins, for instance, can be employed as therapeutic agents to block receptor-ligand interactions. The membrane-bound proteins can also be employed for screening of potential peptide or small molecule inhibitors of the relevant receptor/ligand interaction.

Efforts are being undertaken by both industry and academia to identify new, native receptor or membrane-bound proteins. Many efforts are focused on the screening of mammalian recombinant DNA libraries to identify the coding sequences for novel receptor or membrane-bound proteins.

1. PRO1560

The tetraspan family of proteins has grown to include approximately 20 known genes from various species, including drosophila. The tetraspans are also known as the transmembrane 4 (TM4) superfamily and are proposed to have an organizing function in the cell membrane. Their ability to interact with other molecules and function in such diverse activities as cell adhesion, activation and differentiation, point to a role of aggregating large molecular complexes. Skubitz, et al., J. Immunology, 157:3617-3626 (1996). The tetraspan group has also emerged as a set of proteins with prominent functions in Schwann cell biology. Mirsky and Jessen, Curr. Opin. Neurobiol., 6(1):89-96 (1996). Tetraspans (also sometimes called tetraspanins) are further described in Maecker, et al., FASEB, 11:428-442 (1997). Thus, members of the tetraspan family are of interest.

2. PRO444

Efforts are being undertaken by both industry and academia to identify new, native secreted proteins. Many efforts are focused on the screening of mammalian recombinant DNA libraries to identify the coding sequences for novel secreted proteins. We herein describe the identification and characterization of a novel secreted protein designated herein as PRO444.

3. PRO1018

Efforts are being undertaken by both industry and academia to identify new, native transmembrane and receptor proteins. Many efforts are focused on the screening of mammalian recombinant DNA libraries to identify the coding sequences for novel transmembrane proteins. We herein describe the identification and characterization of a novel transmembrane polypeptide designated herein as PRO1018.

4. PRO1773

The primary and rate-limiting step in retinoic acid biosynthesis requires the conversion of retinol to retinal. Retinol dehydrogenase proteins are enzymes which function to recognize holo-cellular retinol-binding protein as a substrate, thereby catalyzing the first step of retinoic acid biogenesis from its substrate. Various retinol dehydrogenase genes have been cloned and characterized, wherein the products of these genes are suggested as potentially being useful for the treatment of retinitis pigmentosa, psoriasis, acne and various cancers (Chai et al., J. Biol. Chem. 270:28408-28412 (1995) and Chai et al., Gene 169:219-222 (1996)). Given the obvious importance of the retinol dehydrogenase enzymes, there is significant interest in the identification and characterization of novel polypeptides having homology to a retinol dehydrogenase. We herein describe the identification and characterization of novel polypeptides having homology to a retinol dehydrogenase protein, designated herein as PRO1773 polypeptides.

5. PRO1477

Glycosylation is an important mechanism for modulating the physiochemical and biological properties of proteins in a stage- and tissue-specific manner. One of the important enzymes involved in glycosylation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is alpha 1,2-mannosidase, an enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of Man9GlcNAc2 to Man8GlcNAc2 during the formation of N-linked oligosaccharides. The Saccharomyces cerevisiae alpha 1,2-mannosidase enzyme of is a member of the Class I alpha 1,2-mannosidases that are conserved from yeast to mammals. Given the important roles played by the alpha 1,2-mannosidases and the mannosidases in general in glycosylation and the physiochemical activity regulated by glycosylation, there is significant interest in identifying novel polypeptides having homology to one or more mannosidases. We herein describe the identification and characterization of novel polypeptides having homology to a mannosidase protein, designated herein as PRO1477 polypeptides.

6. PRO1478

Recently, a new subfamily of galactosyltransferase genes that encode type II transmembrane proteins was identified from a mouse genomic library (Hennet et al., (1998) J. Biol. Chem. 273(1):58-65). Galactosyltransferases, in general, are all of interest. Beta 1,4-galactosyltransferase is been found in two subcellular compartments where it is believed to perform two distinct function. Evans, et al., Ioessays, 17(3):261-268 (1995). Beta 1,4-galactosyltransferase is described as a possible transducing receptor in Dubois and Shur, Adv. Exp. Med. Biol., 376:105-114 (1995), and further reported on in Shur, Glycobiology, 1(6):563-575 (1991). Expression and function of cell surface galactosyltransferase is reported on in Shur, Biochim. Biophys. Acta., 988(3):389-409 (1989). Moreover, the receptor function of galactosyltransferase during mammalian fertilization is described in Shur, Adv. Exp. Biol., 207:79-93 (1986), and the receptor function during cellular interactions is described in Shur, Mol. Cell Biochem., 61(2):143-158 (1984). Thus, it is understood that galactosyltransferases and their related proteins are of interest.

7. PRO831

Efforts are being undertaken by both industry and academia to identify new, native secreted proteins. Many efforts are focused on the screening of mammalian recombinant DNA libraries to identify the coding sequences for novel secreted proteins. We herein describe the identification and characterization of a novel secreted protein designated herein as PRO831.

8. PRO1113

Protein-protein interactions include receptor and antigen complexes and signaling mechanisms. As more is known about the structural and functional mechanisms underlying protein-protein interactions, protein-protein interactions can be more easily manipulated to regulate the particular result of the protein-protein interaction. Thus, the underlying mechanisms of protein-protein interactions are of interest to the scientific and medical community.

All proteins containing leucine-rich repeats are thought to be involved in protein-protein interactions. Leucine-rich repeats are short sequence motifs present in a number of proteins with diverse functions and cellular locations. The crystal structure of ribonuclease inhibitor protein has revealed that leucine-rich repeats correspond to beta-alpha structural units. These units are arranged so that they form a parallel beta-sheet with one surface exposed to solvent, so that the protein acquires an unusual, nonglubular shape. These two features have been indicated as responsible for the protein-binding functions of proteins containing leucine-rich repeats. See, Kobe and Deisenhofer, Trends Biochem. Sci., 19(10):415-421 (Oct. 1994).

A study has been reported on leucine-rich proteoglycans which serve as tissue organizers, orienting and ordering collagen fibrils during ontogeny and are involved in pathological processes such as wound healing, tissue repair, and tumor stroma formation. Iozzo, R. V., Crit. Rev. Biochem. Mol. Biol., 32(2):141-174 (1997). Others studies implicating leucine rich proteins in wound healing and tissue repair are De La Salle, C., et al., Vouv. Rev. Fr. Hematol. (Germany), 37(4):215-222 (1995), reporting mutations in the leucine rich motif in a complex associated with the bleeding disorder Bernard-Soulier syndrome, Chlemetson, K. J., Thromb. Haemost. (Germany), 74(1):111-116 (July 1995), reporting that platelets have leucine rich repeats and Ruoslahti, E. I., et al., WO9110727-A by La Jolla Cancer Research Foundation reporting that decorin binding to transforming growth factors has involvement in a treatment for cancer, wound healing and scarring. Related by function to this group of proteins is the insulin like growth factor (IGF), in that it is useful in wound-healing and associated therapies concerned with re-growth of tissue, such as connective tissue, skin and bone; in promoting body growth in humans and animals; and in stimulating other growth-related processes. The acid labile subunit of IGF (ALS) is also of interest in that it increases the half-life of IGF and is part of the IGF complex in vivo.

Another protein which has been reported to have leucine-rich repeats is the SLIT protein which has been reported to be useful in treating neuro-degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, nerve damage such as in Parkinson's disease, and for diagnosis of cancer, see, Artavanistsakonas, S. and Rothberg, J. M., WO9210518-A1 by Yale University. Of particular interest is LIG-1, a membrane glycoprotein that is expressed specifically in glial cells in the mouse brain, and has leucine rich repeats and immunoglobulin-like domains. Suzuki, et al., J. Biol. Chem. (U.S.), 271(37):22522 (1996). Other studies reporting on the biological functions of proteins having leucine rich repeats include: Tayar, N., et al., Mol. Cell Endocrinol., (Ireland), 125(1-2):65-70 (December 1996) (gonadotropin receptor involvement); Miura, Y., et al., Nippon Rinsho (Japan), 54(7): 1784-1789 (July 1996) (apoptosis involvement); Harris, P. C., et al., J. Am. Soc. Nephrol., 6(4):1125-1133 (Oct. 1995) (kidney disease involvement).

9. PRO1194

The nuclear genes PET117 and PET 119 are required for the assembly of active cytochrome c oxidase in S. Cerevisiae, and therefore, are of interest. Also of interest are nucleic acids which have sequence identity with these genes. PET genes are further described in McEwen, et al., Curr. Genet., 23(1):9-14 (1993).

10. PRO1110

The bone marrow plays many important roles in the mammal. One of those roles is to provide a source of various progenitor cells that differentiate into important cells and other components of the blood and immune systems. As such, the function of the myeloid system is of extreme interest.

We herein describe the identification and characterization of novel polypeptides having homology to myeloid upregulated protein, designated herein as PRO1110 polypeptides.

11. PRO1378

Efforts are being undertaken by both industry and academia to identify new, native secreted proteins. Many efforts are focused on the screening of mammalian recombinant DNA libraries to identify the coding sequences for novel secreted proteins. We herein describe the identification and characterization of a novel secreted protein designated herein as PRO1378.

12. PRO1481

Efforts are being undertaken by both industry and academia to identify new, native proteins. Many efforts are focused on the screening of mammalian recombinant DNA libraries to identify the coding sequences for novel proteins. We herein describe the identification and characterization of a novel protein designated herein as PRO1481.

13. PRO1189

There has been much interest in the identification of receptor proteins on stem cells and progenitor cells which may be involved in triggering proliferation or differentiation. A type II transmembrane protein was identified in proliferating progenitor cells in the outer perichondrial rim of the postnatal mandibular condyle proliferation. The investigators concluded that E25 could be a useful marker for chondro-osteogenic differentiation (Deleersnijder, et al. J. Biol. Chem. 271(32):19475-19482 (1996)).

14. PRO1415

Efforts are being undertaken by both industry and academia to identify new, native transmembrane and receptor proteins. Many efforts are focused on the screening of mammalian recombinant DNA libraries to identify the coding sequences for novel transmembrane proteins. We herein describe the identification and characterization of a novel transmembrane polypeptide designated herein as PRO1415.

15. PRO1411

Efforts are being undertaken by both industry and academia to identify new, native secreted proteins. Many efforts are focused on the screening of mammalian recombinant DNA libraries to identify the coding sequences for novel secreted proteins. We herein describe the identification and characterization of a novel secreted protein designated herein as PRO1411.

16. PRO1295

Efforts are being undertaken by both industry and academia to identify new, native secreted proteins. Many efforts are focused on the screening of mammalian recombinant DNA libraries to identify the coding sequences for novel secreted proteins. We herein describe the identification and characterization of a novel secreted protein designated herein as PRO1295.

17. PRO1359

Enzymes such as hyaluronidase, sialyltransferase, urokinase-type plasminogen activator, plasmin, matrix metalloproteinases, and others, play central roles in the catabolism of extracellular matrix molecules. As such, these enzymes and inhibitors thereof, may play roles in metastatic cancer and the treatment thereof. Van Aswegen and du Plessis, Med. Hypotheses, 48(5):443-447 (1997). For the foregoing reason, as well as their diversity in substrate specificity example, sialyltransferases are of particular interest. For example, a peptide of interest is the GalNAc alpha 2, 6-sailytransferase as described in Kurosawa, et al., J. Biol. Chem., 269(2): 1402-1409 (1994). This peptide was constructed to be secreted, and retained its catalytic activity. The expressed enzyme exhibited activity toward asialomucin and asialofetuin, but not other glycoproteins tested. As sialylation is an important function, sialyltransferases such as this one, and peptides related by sequence identity, are of interest. Sialyltransferases are further described in the literature, see for example, Sjoberg, et al, J. Biol. Chem., 271(13):7450-7459 (1996), Tsuji, J. Biochem., 120(1):1-13 (1996) and Harduin-Lepers, et al., Glycobiology, 5(8):741-758 (1995).

18. PRO1190

Kang et al. reported the identification a novel cell surface glycoprotein of the Ig superfamily (J. Cell biol. (1997) 138(1):203-213). Cell adhesion molecules of the Ig superfamily are implicated in a wide variety of biological processes, including cell migration, growth control, and tumorigenesis. The Kang et al. studies suggest that loss of CDO function may play a role in oncogenesis. Accordingly, the identification of additional CDO-like molecules, and more generally, cell adhesion molecules of the Ig superfamily, is of interest.

19. PRO1772

Peptidases are enzymatic proteins that function to cleave peptide substrates either in a specific or non-specific manner. Peptidases are generally involved in a large number of very important biological processes in mammalian and non-mammalian organisms. Numerous different peptidase enzymes from a variety of different mammalian and non-mammalian organisms have been both identified and characterized. The mammalian peptidase enzymes play important roles in many different biological processes including, for example, protein digestion, activation, inactivation, or modulation of peptide hormone activity, and alteration of the physical properties of proteins and enzymes.

In light of the important physiological roles played by peptidase enzymes, efforts are currently being undertaken by both industry and academia to identify new, native peptidase homologs. Many of these efforts are focused on the screening of mammalian recombinant DNA libraries to identify the coding sequences for novel transmembrane proteins. Examples of screening methods and techniques are described in the literature [see, for example, Klein et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 93:7108-7113 (1996); U.S. Pat. No. 5,536,637)]. We herein describe the identification of novel polypeptides having homology to various peptidase enzymes, designated herein as PRO1772 polypeptides.

20. PRO1248

Putative protein-2 (PUT-2) is a homolog of the human disease genes L1CAM, G6PD and P55 (Riboldi Tunnicliffe et al., Genome Analysis, submitted). As such, there is interest in identifying novel polypeptides and encoding DNA having homology to the PUT-2 protein. We herein describe the identification and characterization of novel polypeptides having homology to PUT-2 protein, designated herein as PRO1248 polypeptides.

21. PRO1316

Dickkopf (Dkk) is a family of secreted proteins having a high degree of homology in the cysteine-rich domains (i.e., 80-90%). Dkk-1, the first discovered member, of this family has potent head-inducgin activity on the Spemann organizer. Glinka et al., Nature 391 (6665): 357-362 (1988). The Spemann organizer of the amphibian embryo can be subdivided into two discrete activities, namely trunk organizer and head organizer. Dkk-1 has been found to be both sufficient and necessary to cause head induction in Xenopus embryos and is further a potent antagonist of Wnt signaling, suggesting that the Dkk genes encode an entire family of Wnt inhibitors.

Members of the Wnt gene family function in both normal development and differentiation as well as in tumorigenesis. Wnts are encoded by a large gene family whose members have been found in round worms, insects, cartilaginous fish, and vertebrates. Holland et al., Dev. Suppl., 125-133 (1994). Wnt genes encode a family of secreted glycoproteins that modulate cell fate and behavior in embryos through activation of receptor-mediated signaling pathways.

Studies of mutations in Wnt genes have indicated a role for Wnts in growth control and tissue patterning. In Drosophila, wingless (wg) encodes a Wnt-related gene (Rijsewik et al., Cell, 50: 649-657 (1987)) and wg mutations alter the pattern of embryonic ectoderm, neurogenesis, and imaginal disc outgrowth. Morata and Lawerence, Dev. Biol., 56: 227-240 (1977); Baker, Dev. Biol., 125: 96-108 (1988); Klingensmith and Nusse, Dev. Biol., 166: 396414 (1994). In Caenorhabditis elegans, lin-44 encodes a Wnt homolog which is required for asymmetric cell divisions. Herman and Horvitz, Development, 120: 1035-1047 (1994). Knock-out mutations in mice have shown Wnts to be essential for brain development (McMahon and Bradley, Cell, 62: 1073-1085 (1990); Thomas and Cappechi, Nature, 346: 847-850 (1990)), and the outgrowth of embryonic primordia for kidney (Stark et al., Nature, 372: 679-683 (1994)), tail bud (Takada et al., Genes Dev., 8: 174-189 (1994)), and limb bud. Parr and McMahon, Nature, 374: 350-353 (1995). Overexpression of Wnts in the mammary gland can result in mammary hyperplasia and tumors, ((McMahon, supra (1992); Nusse and Varmus, H. E., Cell 69: 1073-1087 (1992)), and precocious alveolar development. Bradbury et al., Dev. Biol., 170: 553-563 (1995). Moreover, constitutive expression of Wnt4 in virgin hosts of transplanted mammary epithelium resulted in highly branched tissue, similar to a pregnancy-like growth pattern. Bradbury et al., Dev. Biol. 170: 553-563 (1995).

The Wnt/Wg signal transduction pathway plays an important role in the biological development of the organism and has been implicated in several human cancers. This pathway also includes the tumor suppressor gene, APC. Mutations in the APC gene are associated with the development of sporadic and inherited forms of human colorectal cancer. For example, elevated levels of Wnt-2 have been observed in colorectal cancers. Vider, B-Z. et al., Oncogene 12: 153-158 (1996).

22. PRO1197

Efforts are being undertaken by both industry and academia to identify new, native secreted proteins. Many efforts are focused on the screening of mammalian recombinant DNA libraries to identify the coding sequences for novel secreted proteins. We herein describe the identification and characterization of a novel secreted protein designated herein as PRO1197.

23. PRO1293

Immunoglobulins are antibody molecules, the proteins that function both as receptors for antigen on the B-cell membrane and as the secreted products of the plasma cell. Like all antibody molecules, immunoglobulins perform two major functions: they bind specifically to an antigen and they participate in a limited number of biological effector functions. Therefore, new members of the Ig superfamily and fragments thereof are always of interest. Molecules which act as receptors by various viruses and those which act to regulate immune function are of particular interest. Also of particular interest are those molecules which have homology to known Ig family members which act as virus receptors or regulate immune function. Thus, molecules having homology to Ig superfamily members and fragments thereof (i.e., heavy and light chain fragments) are of particular interest.

We herein describe the identification and characterization of novel polypeptides having homology to an immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region protein, designated herein as PRO1293 polypeptides.

24. PRO1380

Efforts are being undertaken by both industry and academia to identify new, native transmembrane and receptor proteins. Many efforts are focused on the screening of mammalian recombinant DNA libraries to identify the coding sequences for novel transmembrane proteins. We herein describe the identification and characterization of a novel transmembrane polypeptide designated herein as PRO1380.

25. PRO1265

The identification of novel secreted proteins involved in physiological and metabolic pathways is of interest because of their potential use as pharmaceutical agents. Of particular interest is the identification of novel polypeptides that are potentially involved in immune response and inflammation mechanisms. A novel polypeptide has recently been identified that is expressed in mouse B cells in response to IL4. The gene encoding this polypeptide is referred to as interleukin-four induced gene 1, or “FIG. 1” (Chu et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci (1997) 94(6):2507-2512).

26. PRO1250

Long chain fatty acid CoA ligase is an enzymatic protein that functions to ligate together long chain fatty acids, a function that plays important roles in a variety of different physiological processes. Given the importance of this enzymatic protein, efforts are currently being undertaken to identify novel long chain fatty acid CoA ligase homologs. We herein describe the identification and characterization of novel polypeptides having homology to long chain fatty acid CoA ligase, designated herein as PRO1250 polypeptides.

27. PRO1475

N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase proteins comprise a family of enzymes that provide for a variety of important biological functions in the mammalian organism. As an example, UDP-N-acetylglucosamine: alpha-3-D-mannoside beat-1,2-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase I is an enzymatic protein that catalyzes an essential first step in the conversion of high-mannose N-glycans to hybrid and complex N-glycans (Sarkar et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 88:234-238 (1991). Given the obvious importance of the N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase enzymes, there is significant interest in the identification and characterization of novel polypeptides having homology to an N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase protein. We herein describe the identification and characterization of novel polypeptides having homology to an N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase protein, designated herein as PRO1475 polypeptides.

28. PRO1377

Efforts are being undertaken by both industry and academia to identify new, native transmembrane and receptor proteins. Many efforts are focused on the screening of mammalian recombinant DNA libraries to identify the coding sequences for novel transmembrane proteins. We herein describe the identification and characterization of a novel transmembrane polypeptide designated herein as PRO1377.

29. PRO1326

Efforts are being undertaken by both industry and academia to identify new, native secreted proteins. Many efforts are focused on the screening of mammalian recombinant DNA libraries to identify the coding sequences for novel secreted proteins. We herein describe the identification and characterization of a novel secreted protein designated herein as PRO1326.

30. PRO1249

Efforts are being undertaken by both industry and academia to identify new, native transmembrane and receptor proteins. Many efforts are focused on the screening of mammalian recombinant DNA libraries to identify the coding sequences for novel transmembrane proteins. We herein describe the identification and characterization of a novel transmembrane polypeptide designated herein as PRO1249.

31. PRO1315

Many important cytokine proteins have been identified and characterized and shown to signal through specific cell surface receptor complexes. For example, the class II cytokine receptor family (CRF2) includes the interferon receptors, the interleukin-10 receptor and the tissue factor CRFB4 (Spencer et al., J. Exp. Med. 187:571-578 (1998) and Kotenko et al., EMBO J. 16:5894-5903 (1997)). Thus, the multitude of biological activities exhibited by the various cytokine proteins is absolutely dependent upon the presence of cytokine receptor proteins on the surface of target cells. There is, therefore, a significant interest in identifying and characterizing novel polypeptides having homology to one or more of the cytokine receptor family. We herein describe the identification and characterization of a novel polypeptide having homology to cytokine receptor family4 proteins, designated herein as PRO1315 polypeptides.

32. PRO1599

Granzyme M is a natural killer cell serine protease. The human gene is 7.5 kilobases, has an exon-intron structure identical to other serine proteases, and is closely linked to the serine protease gene cluster on chromosome 19p13.3. (Pilat et al., Genomics, 24:445-450 (1994)). Granzyme M has been found in two human natural killer leukemia cell lines, unstimulated human peripheral blood monocytes and untreated purified CD3-CD56+ large granular lymphocytes. (Smyth et al., J. Immunol., 151:6195-6205 (1993)).

33. PRO1430

Reductases form a large class of enzymatic proteins found in a variety of mammalian tissues and play many important roles for the proper functioning of these tissues. They are antioxidant enzymes that catalyze the conversion of reactive oxygen species to water. Abnormal levels or functioning of reductases have been implicated in several diseases and disorders including strokes, heart attacks, oxidative stress, hypertension and the development of both benign and malignant tumors. For example, malignant prostate epithelium may have lowered expression of such antioxidant enzymes [Baker et al., Prostate 32(4):229-233 (1997)]. International patent application no. WO9622360-A1 describes a prostate specific reductase that is useful for diagnosing and treating prostate cancer and screening new antagonists. Inhibitors of alpha-reductase have been used in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (Anderson, Drugs Aging (1996) 6(5):388-396). For these reasons, the identification of new members of the reductase family has been of interest for the treatment and diagnosis of cancers and other diseases and disorders.

34. PRO1374

Prolyl 4-hyroxylase (P4HA) catalyzes the formation of 4-hydroxyproline in collagens. Annunen, et al., J. Biol. Chem., 272(28):17342-17348 (1997); Helaakoski, et al., PNAS USA, 92(10):4427-4431 (1995); and Hopkinson, et al., Gene, 149(2):391-392 (1994). This enzyme and molecules related thereto are of interest.

35. PRO1311

The tetraspan family of proteins, also referred to as the “transmembrane 4 (TM4) superfamily”, are proposed to have an organizing function in the cell membrane. It is believed that they interact with large molecular complexes and function in such diverse activities as cell adhesion, activation and differentiation (see Maecker et al. FASEB (1997) 11:428-442). Accordingly, the identification of new members of the tetraspan family of proteins is of interest. Efforts are being undertaken by both industry and academia to identify new, native transmembrane proteins. Many efforts are focused on the screening of mammalian recombinant DNA libraries to identify the coding sequences for novel receptor proteins.

36. PRO1357

Ebnerin is a cell surface protein associated with von Ebner glands in mammals. Efforts are being undertaken by both industry and academia to identify new, native proteins and specifically those which possess sequence homology to cell surface proteins such as ebnerin or other salivary gland-associated proteins. Many of these efforts are focused on the screening of mammalian recombinant DNA libraries to identify the coding sequences for novel receptor proteins. We herein describe the identification of novel polypeptides having significant homology to the von Ebner minor salivary gland-associated protein, designated herein as PRO1357 polypeptides.

37. PRO1244

One type of transmembrane protein that has received attention is implantation-associated uterine protein. Deficiencies or abnormalities of this protein may be a cause of miscarriage. Therefore, the identification and characterization of implantation-associated proteins is of interest.

38. PRO1246

Bone-related sulphatase is an enzymatic protein that has been shown to degrade sulphate groups of proteoglycan sugar chains in bone tissue (Australian Patent Publication No. AU 93/44921-A, Mar. 3, 1994). Because of its specific sulphatase activity, it has been suggested that bone-related sulphatase may find use in the treatment of bone metabolic diseases. As such, there is significant interest in identifying and characterizing novel polypeptides having sequence similarity to bone-related sulphatase. We herein describe the identification and characterization of novel polypeptides having homology to bone-related sulphatase, designated herein as PRO1246 polypeptides.

39. PRO1356

Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin (CPE) is considered to be the virulence factor responsible for causing the symptoms of C. perfringens type A food poisoning and may also be involved in other human and veterinary illnesses (McClane, Toxicon. 34:1335-1343 (1996)). CPE carries out its adverse cellular functions by binding to an approximately 50 kD cell surface receptor protein designated the Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin receptor (CPE-R) to form an approximately 90,000 kD complex on the surface of the cell. cDNAs encoding the CPE-R protein have been identified characterized in both human and mouse (Katahira et al., J. Cell Biol. 136:1239-1247 (1997) and Katahira et al., J. Biol. Chem. 272:26652-26658 (1997)). Since the CPE toxin has been reported to cause a variety of illnesses in mammalian hosts and those illnesses are initiated by binding of the CPE toxin to the CPE-R, there is significant interest in identifying novel CPE-R homologs. We herein describe the identification and characterization of novel polypeptides having homology to the CPE-R, designated herein as PRO1356 polypeptides.

40. PRO1275

Efforts are being undertaken by both industry and academia to identify new, native secreted proteins. Many efforts are focused on the screening of mammalian recombinant DNA libraries to identify the coding sequences for novel secreted proteins. We herein describe the identification and characterization of a novel secreted protein designated herein as PRO1275.

41. PRO1274

Efforts are being undertaken by both industry and academia to identify new, native secreted proteins. Many efforts are focused on the screening of mammalian recombinant DNA libraries to identify the coding sequences for novel secreted proteins. We herein describe the identification and characterization of a novel secreted protein designated herein as PRO1274.

42. PRO1412

Efforts are being undertaken by both industry and academia to identify new, native transmembrane and receptor proteins. Many efforts are focused on the screening of mammalian recombinant DNA libraries to identify the coding sequences for novel transmembrane proteins. We herein describe the identification and characterization of a novel transmembrane polypeptide designated herein as PRO1412.

43. PRO1557

The identification of secretory proteins that play roles in neural development are of interest. Such proteins may find use in the understanding of and possible treatment of neurological diseases and disorders. Chordin protein, which has been isolated from Xenopus, is a potent dorsalizing factor that regulates cell-cell interactions in the organizing centers of Xenopus head, trunk and tail development (Sasai et al., (1994) Cell 79(5):779-790; see also Mullins, (1998) Trends Genet. 14(4): 127-129; and Kessel et al. (1998) ) Trends Genet. 14(5):169-171). It may be used as a component of culture medium for culturing nerve and muscle cells, and may have use in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and neural injury (U.S. Pat. No. 5,679,783).

44. PRO1286

Efforts are being undertaken by both industry and academia to identify new, native secreted proteins. Many efforts are focused on the screening of mammalian recombinant DNA libraries to identify the coding sequences for novel secreted proteins. We herein describe the identification and characterization of a novel secreted protein designated herein as PRO1286.

45. PRO1294

The extracellular mucous matrix of olfactory neuroepithelium is a highly organized structure in intimate contact with chemosensory cilia that house the olfactory transduction machinery. The major protein component of this extracellular matrix is olfactomedin, a glycoprotein that is expressed in olfactory neuroepithelium and which form intermolecular disulfide bonds so as to produce a polymer (Yokoe et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 90:4655-4659 (1993), Bal et al., Biochemistry 32:1047-1053 (1993) and Snyder et al., Biochemistry 30:9143-9153 (1991)). It has been suggested that olfactomedin may influence the maintenance, growth or differentiation of chemosensory cilia on the apical dendrites of olfactory neurons. Given this important role, there is significant interest in identifying and characterizing novel polypeptides having homology to olfactomedin. We herein describe the identification and characterization of a novel polypeptide having homology to olfactomedin protein.

We herein describe the identification and characterization of novel polypeptides having homology to olfactomedin protein, designated herein as PRO1294 polypeptides.

46. PRO1347

Butyrophilin is a milk glycoprotein that constitutes more than 40% of the total protein associated with the fat globule membrane in mammalian milk. Expression of butyrophilin mRNA has been shown to correlate with the onset of milk fat production toward the end pregnancy and is maintained throughout lactation. Butyrophilin has been identified in bovine, murine and human (see Taylor et al., Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1306:1-4 (1996), Ishii et al., Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1245:285-292 (1995), Mather et al., J. Dairy Sci. 76:3832-3850 (1993), Ogg, et al., Mamm. Genome, 7(12):900-905 (1996), Sato, et al., J. Biochem., 117(1): 147-157 (1995) and Banghart et al., J. Biol. Chem. 273:4171-4179 (1998)) and is a type I transmembrane protein that is incorporated into the fat globulin membrane. It has been suggested that butyrophilin may play a role as the principle scaffold for the assembly of a complex with xanthine dehydrogenase/oxidase and other proteins that function in the budding and release of milk-fat globules from the apical surface during lactation (Banghart et al., supra). Given that butyrophilin plays a role in mammalian milk production, there is substantial interest in identifying novel butyrophilin homologs.

47. PRO1305

Efforts are being undertaken by both industry and academia to identify new, native secreted proteins. Many efforts are focused on the screening of mammalian recombinant DNA libraries to identify the coding sequences for novel secreted proteins. We herein describe the identification and characterization of a novel secreted protein designated herein as PRO1305.

48. PRO1273

The lipocalin protein family is a large group of small extracellular proteins. The family demonstrates great diversity at the sequence level; however, most lipocalins share characteristic conserved sequence motifs. Lipocalins are known to be involved in retinol transport, invertebrate cryptic coloration, olfaction and pheromone transport, and prostaglandin synthesis. The lipocalins have also been implicated in the regulation of cell homoeostasis and the modulation of the immune response, and as carrier proteins, to act in the general clearance of endogenous and exogenous compounds. Flower, Biochem. J., 318(Pt 1): 1-14 (1996); Flower, FEBS Lett., 354(1):7-11 (1994). Thus, novel members of the lipocalin protein family are of interest.

49. PRO1302

CD33 is a cell-surface protein that is a member of the sialoadhesin family of proteins that are capable of mediating sialic-acid dependent binding with distinct specificities for both the type of sialic acid and its linkage to subterminal sugars. CD33 is specifically expressed in early myeloid and some monocyte cell lineages and has been shown to be strongly associated with various myeloid tumors including, for example, acute non-lymphocytic leukemia (ANLL). As such, CD33 has been suggested as a potential target for the treatment of cancers associated with high level expression of the protein. One CD33 homolog (designated CD33L) is described in Takei et al., Cytogenet. Cell Genet. 78:295-300 (1997). Another study describes the use of CD33 monoclonal antibodies in bone marrow transplantation for acute myeloid leukemia. Robertson, et al., Prog. Clin. Biol. Res., 389:47-63 (1994).

Moreover, studies have reported that members of the sialoadhesion family contribute to a range of macrophage functions, both under normal conditions as well as during inflammatory reactions. Crocker, et al., Glycoconj. J., 14(5):601-609 (1997). Moreover, these proteins are associated with diverse biological processes, i.e., hemopoiesis, neuronal development and immunity. Kelm, et al., Glycoconj. J., 13(6):913-926 (1996). Thus, novel polypeptides related to CD33 by sequence identity are of interest.

50. PRO1283

Olfactory reception occurs via the interaction of odorants with the chemosensory cilia of the olfactory receptor cells located in the nasal epithelium. Based upon the diversity of nasal epithelial-associated odorant binding proteins, the mammalian olfactory system is capable of recognizing and discriminating a large number of different odorant molecules. In this regard, numerous different odorant binding proteins and their encoding DNA have recently been identified and characterized (Dear et al., Biochemistry 30: 10376-10382 (1991), Pevsner et al., Science 241:336-339 (1988), Bucket al., Cell 65:175-187 (1991) and Breer et al., J. Recept. Res. 13:527-540 (1993)). Because study of the mechanisms of odorant detection by the mammalian olfactory system are of interest, there is significant interest in identifying novel odorant binding protein. We herein describe the identification and characterization of novel polypeptides having homology to odorant binding proteins, designated herein as PRO1283 polypeptides.

51. PRO1279

Proteases are enzymatic proteins which are involved in a large number of very important biological processes in mammalian and non-mammalian organisms. Numerous different protease enzymes from a variety of different mammalian and non-mammalian organisms have been both identified and characterized, including the serine proteases which exhibit specific activity toward various serine-containing proteins. The mammalian protease enzymes play important roles in biological processes such as, for example, protein digestion, activation, inactivation, or modulation of peptide hormone activity, and alteration of the physical properties of proteins and enzymes.

Neuropsin is a novel serine protease whose mRNA is expressed in the central nervous system. Mouse neuropsin has been cloned, and studies have shown that it is involved in the hippocampal plasticity. Neuropsin has also been indicated as associated with extracellular matrix modifications and cell migrations. See, generally, Chen, et al., Neurosci., 7(2):5088-5097 (1995) and Chen, et al., J. Histochem. Cytochem., 46:313-320 (1998).

We herein describe the identification and characterization of novel polypeptides having homology to neuropsin protein, designated herein as PRO1279 polypeptides.

52. PRO1304

The immunophilins are a family of proteins that function as receptors for immunosuppressant drugs, such as cyclosporin A, FK506, and rapamycin. The immunophilins occur in two separate classes, (1) the FK506-binding proteins (FKBPs), which bind to FK506 and rapamycin, and (2) the cyclophilins, which bind to cyclosporin A. With regard to the FK506-binding proteins, it has been reported that the FK506/FKBP complex functions to inhibit the activity of the serine/threonine protein phosphatase 2B (calcineurin), thereby providing immunosuppressant activity (Gold, Mol. Neurobiol. 15:285-306 (1997)). It has also been reported that the FKBP immunophilins are found in the mammalian nervous system and may be involved in axonal regeneration in the central nervous system through a mechanism that is independent of the process by which immunosuppression is achieved (Gold, supra). Thus, there is substantial interest in identifying novel polypeptides having homology to the FKBP immunophilins.

We herein describe the identification and characterization of novel polypeptides having homology to FK506 binding protein, designated herein as PRO1304 polypeptides.

53. PRO1317

There is considerable interest in the identification of molecules whose expression is increased upon stimulation of leukocyte populations because insights into the structure and function of these molecules may lead to further understanding of the intracellular and intercellular events that accompany activation. One such molecule, CD97, a cell surface antigen that is rapidly upregulated upon activation on lymphocytes, has recently been the subject of several publications (see Eichler et al. in Tissue Antigens (1997) 50(5):429-438; Aust et al., Cancer Res. (1997) 57(9):1798-1806). Leukocytes strongly positive for CD97 are concentrated at sites of inflammation relative to CD97 expression in normal lymphoid tissue. A soluble subunit of CD97, CD97alpha, has been found in the body fluids from inflamed tissues (Gray et al. J. Immunol. (1996) 157(12):5438-5447).

54. PRO1303

Proteases are enzymatic proteins which are involved in a large number of very important biological processes in mammalian and non-mammalian organisms. Numerous different protease enzymes from a variety of different mammalian and non-mammalian organisms have been both identified and characterized, including the serine proteases which exhibit specific activity toward various serine-containing proteins. The mammalian protease enzymes play important roles in biological processes such as, for example, protein digestion, activation, inactivation, or modulation of peptide hormone activity, and alteration of the physical properties of proteins and enzymes.

Neuropsin is a novel serine protease whose mRNA is expressed in the central nervous system. Mouse neuropsin has been cloned, and studies have shown that it is involved in the hippocampal plasticity. Neuropsin has also been indicated as associated with extracellular matrix modifications and cell migrations. See, generally, Chen, et al., J. Neurosci., 7(2):5088-5097 (1995) and Chen, et al., J. Histochem. Cytochem., 46:313-320 . (1998). Other studies have reported that kindling induces neuropsin mRNA in the mouse brain. Okabe, et al., Brain Res., 728(1): 116-120 (1996). Additionally, a study has reported that generation of reactive oxygen species has an important role in neuropsin transcript in the limbic areas which might be related to the disturbance in avoidance learning. Akita, et al., Brain Res., 769(1):86-96 (1997). Thus, neuropsins, and related proteins and agents, including agonists and antagonists are of interest.

55. PRO1306

There is much interest in the identification of proteins that play roles in mammalian disease and disorders which could lead to new methods of treatment. A macrophage polypeptide, daintain/allograft inflammatory factor 1 (daintain/AIF1), has been identified in the pancreas of prediabetic rats, and has been determined to have a direct effect on insulin secretion. When injected intravenously in mice in low doses, daintain/AIF1 doses inhibited glucose-stimulated insulin secretion with a concomitant impairment of glucose elimination. At higher doses, daintain/AIF1 potentiated glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and enhanced glucose elimination. Thus, it was suggested that daintain/AIF1 may have a role in connection with the pathogenesis of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (Chen et al. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. (1997) 94(25):13879-13884). AIF-1 has also been implicated in both rat and human allogenic heart transplant rejection (Utans et al. Transplantation (1996) 61(9): 1387-1392), and may play a role in macrophage activation and function (Utans et al. J. Clin. Invest. (1995) 95(6):2954-2962).

56. PRO1336

Protein-protein interactions include receptor and antigen complexes and signaling mechanisms. As more is known about the structural and functional mechanisms underlying protein-protein interactions, protein-protein interactions can be more easily manipulated to regulate the particular result of the protein-protein interaction. Thus, the underlying mechanisms of protein-protein interactions are of interest to the scientific and medical community.

Leucine-rich proteins are known to be involved in protein-protein interactions. A study has been reported on leucine-rich proteoglycans which serve as tissue organizers, orienting and ordering collagen fibrils during ontogeny and are involved in pathological processes such as wound healing, tissue repair, and tumor stroma formation. Iozzo, R. V., Crit. Rev. Biochem. Mol. Biol., 32(2):141-174 (1997). Others studies implicating leucine rich proteins in wound healing and tissue repair are De La Salle, C., et al., Vouv. Rev. Fr. Hematol. (Germany), 37(4):215-222 (1995), reporting mutations in the leucine rich motif in a complex associated with the bleeding disorder Bernard-Soulier syndrome and Chlemetson, K. J., Thromb. Haemost. (Germany), 74(1):111-116 (July 1995), reporting that platelets have leucine rich repeats.

Another protein of particular interest which has been reported to have leucine-rich repeats is the slit protein which has been reported to be useful in treating neuro-degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, nerve damage such as in Parkinson's disease, and for diagnosis of cancer, see, Artavanistsakonas, S. and Rothberg, J. M., WO9210518-A1 by Yale University. The slit protein has been characterized and reported to be secreted by glial cells and involved in the formation of axonal pathways in Drosophila as well as the mediation of extracellular protein interactions. Wharton and Crews, Mech. Dev., 40(3):141-154 91993); Rothberg and Artavanis-Tsakonas, J. Mol. Biol., 227(2):367-370 (1992); Rothberg, et al., Genes Dev., 4(12A):2169-2187 (1990); and Rothberg, et al., Cell, 55(6):1047-1059 (1988).

57. PRO1278

Lysozymes are secreted enzymes that preferentially hydrolyze the [beta]-1,4 glucosidic linkages between N-acetylmuramic acid and N-acetylgucosamine which occur in the mucopeptide cell wall structure of certain microoganisms. Lysozyme is of widespread distribution in animals and plants. It has been found in mammalian secretions and tissues including saliva, tears, milk, cervical mucus, leucocytes, kidneys, etc. The identification of new members of the lysozyme family of proteins is of interest because of the variety of roles lysozymes play in metabolic function and dysfunction. Abnormal levels of lysozymes have been implicated in various disease states. Lysozymes have been reported to have anti-microbial, analgesic, and antinociceptive properties. Additional characteristics and possible uses of lysozymes are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,618,712.

58. PRO1298

Glycosylation can determine the fate of a protein, for example, whether it is secreted or not. Also, glycoproteins play many structural and functional roles, particularly as part of the cell membrane. Therefore, glycosylation is of interest. Studies have reported on the growth-related coordinate regulation of the early N-glycosylation genes in yeast. Kukuruzinska and Lennon, Glycobiology, 4(4):437-443 (1994). Moreover, the relationship between protein glycosylation and fatty acylation of glycoproteins was studied in the wild-type and asparagine-linked glycosylation-deficient mutants in yeast. Appukuttan, FEBS Lett., 255(1):139-142 (1989). The biosynthesis of asparagine-linked oligosaccharides in yeast was also studied using a mutant. Jackson, et al., Glycobiology, 3(4):357-364 (1993). Yeast mutants deficient in protein glycosylation have also been reported in Huffacker and Robbins, PNAS, 80(24):7466-7470 (1983).

59. PRO1301

Cytochrome P450 proteins form a large class of monooxygenase enzymes involved in hydroxylation. Hydroxylation reactions are important in the synthesis of cholesterol and steroid hormones. Enzymes of the cytochrome P450 family play an important role in the metabolism endogenous compounds such as arachidonic acid. These enzymes are also important in the metabolism of foreign substances such as the elimination of drugs from the body [see, for example, Peterson, Aliment. Pharmacol. Ther., 9:1-9 (1995).]. In addition, metabolites generated through the cytochrome P450 pathway may play a role in carcinogenesis, blood pressure regulation and renal function [see, for example, Rahman et al., Am. J. Hypertens., 10:356-365 (1997)].

60. PRO1268

Efforts are being undertaken by both industry and academia to identify new, native transmembrane and receptor proteins. Many efforts are focused on the screening of mammalian recombinant DNA libraries to identify the coding sequences for novel transmembrane proteins. We herein describe the identification and characterization of a novel transmembrane polypeptide designated herein as PRO1268.

61. PRO1269

Granulocytes, the most common type of white blood cell, have the ability to mediate immunologic cytotoxicity against tumor cells and microorganisms. Accordingly, there has been interest in identifying various factors that are produced by these cells because of their potential use as pharmaceutical agents. Patent publication no. WO9729765-A1, to Selsted, describes the identification of granulocyte peptide A which was isolated from bovine and murine granulocytes. Several uses for this peptide were identified including, a therapeutic use, use as an agricultural agent, use as a preservative for food, and use as a water treatment agent.

62. PRO1327

Neurexophilin is a protein that was discovered as a neuronal glycoprotein that was copurified with neurexin I alpha during affinity chromatography on immobilized alpha-latrotoxin (Missler et al., J. Neurosci. 18:3630-3638 (1998)). Recent data has shown that the mammalian brain contains four genes for neurexophilins the products of which share a common structure composed of five domains: (1) an N-terminal signal peptide, (2) a variable N-terminal domain, (3) a highly conserved central domain that is N-glycosylated, (4) a short linker region and (5) a conserved C-terminal domain that is cysteine-rich (Missler et al., supra). These data further demonstrate that the neurexophilins are proteolytically processed after synthesis and bind to alpha-neurexins. The structure and characteristics of neurexophilins indicate that they may function as neuropeptides that may signal via alpha-neurexins. Therefore, there is significant interest in identifying and characterizing novel polypeptides having homology to the neurexophilins.

We herein describe the identification and characterization of novel polypeptides having homology to neurexophilin protein, designated herein as PRO1327 polypeptides.

63. PRO1382

Cerebellin is a secreted, postsynaptic neuroprotein found throughout the brain. The highest concentrations of this protein have been found in the cerebellum. It has also been detected in the pituitary, spinal cord, and adrenal glands (Satoh et al. J. Endocrinol. (1997) 15491):27-34). The feasibility of using cerebellum as a quantifiable marker for the investigation of the maturation of Purkinje cells of the cerebellum and to chart neurodevelopment has been reported (see Slemmon et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci (1985) 82(20):7145-7148). Significantly decreased levels of cerebellin have been found in human brains obtained in post-mortem studies from patients with spinocerebellar degeneration, olivopontocerebellar atrophy (OPCAQ) and Shy-Drager syndrome, suggesting that cerebellin plays important pathophysiological roles in these cerebellar diseases (Mizuno et al. Brain Res. (1995) 686(1): 115-118; Mizuno et al. No To Shinkei (1995) 47(11): 1069-1074). In view of the importance of cerebellin in neurodevelopment and in neurological diseases and disorders, the identification and characterization of members of this protein family is of interest (see also Yiangou et al. J. Neurochem (1989) 53(3):886-889 and Mugnaini et al. Synapse (1988) 2(2):125-138).

64. PRO1328

Efforts are being undertaken by both industry and academia to identify new, native transmembrane and receptor proteins. Many efforts are focused on the screening of mammalian recombinant DNA libraries to identify the coding sequences for novel transmembrane proteins. We herein describe the identification and characterization of a novel transmembrane polypeptide designated herein as PRO1328.

65. PRO1325

Efforts are being undertaken by both industry and academia to identify new, native transmembrane and receptor proteins. Many efforts are focused on the screening of mammalian recombinant DNA libraries to identify the coding sequences for novel transmembrane proteins. We herein describe the identification and characterization of a novel transmembrane polypeptide designated herein as PRO1325.

66. PRO1340

Cadherins are known as the principal mediators of homotypic cellular recognition and play a demonstrated role in the morphogenic direction of tissue development. Cadherins are a diverse family of proteins that have been identified in various tissues including nervous tissue (Suzuki et al., Cell Regul., 2:261-270 (1991)). Ksp-cadherin is a kidney-specific member of the cadherin multigene family (Thomson et al., Biol. Chem, 270:17594-17601 (1995)). Cadherins are thought to play an important role in human cancer (Yap, Cancer Invest., 16:252-261 (1998)).

67. PRO1339

Carboxypeptidases are of interest. Carboxypeptidase E appears to be involved in the biosynthesis of a wide range of peptide hormones. Fricker, Annu. Rev. Physiol., 50:309-321 (1988). This carboxypeptidase has been associated with obesity. Leiter, J. Endocrinol., 155(2):211-214 (1997). Carboxypeptidase M has been reported as being a marker of macrophage maturation. Krause, et al., Immunol. Rev., 161:119-127 (1998). Human mast cell carboxypeptidase has been reported to be associated with allergies. Goldstein, et al., Monogr. Allergy, 27:132-145 (1990). Carboxypeptidase A2 has also been reported on. Faming, et al., J. Biol. Chem., 266(36):24606-24612 (1991). Other carboxypeptidases of particular interest which are known in the art include human pancreatic carboxypeptidase 2, carboxypeptidase al and carboxypeptidase B. Therefore, novel members of the carboxypeptidase family are of interest.

68. PRO1337

Of particular interest is the identification of blood-related proteins which may have potential therapeutic use or may be useful in the diagnosis of blood-related disorders. Thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG) is synthesized by the liver and secreted into the bloodstream. It is the principal thyroid hormone transport protein in human serum (Refetoff et al. Horm. Res. (1996) 45(3-5):128-138). High serum levels of TBG have been found to cause hyperthyroxinaemia (Leahy et al., Postgrad Med. J. (1984) 60(703):324-327). Accordingly, the identification and characterization of TBG proteins is of interest (see Flink et al. Proc. Natl Acad Sci. USA (1986) 83(20):7708-7712; Bartalena et al. Acta Med. Austriaca, (1988) 15 Suppl 1:12-15), including the identification of abnormal TBG proteins (see Refetoff, Endocr Rev. (1989) 10(3):275-293). Many efforts are focused on the screening of mammalian recombinant DNA libraries to identify the coding sequences for novel secreted proteins. Examples of screening methods and techniques are described in the literature [see, for example, Klein et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 93:7108-7113 (1996); U.S. Pat. No. 5,536,637)].

69. PRO1342

Efforts are being undertaken by both industry and academia to identify new, native transmembrane and receptor proteins. Many efforts are focused on the screening of mammalian recombinant DNA libraries to identify the coding sequences for novel transmembrane proteins. We herein describe the identification and characterization of a novel transmembrane polypeptide designated herein as PRO1342.

70. PRO1343

Efforts are being undertaken by both industry and academia to identify new, native secreted proteins. Many efforts are focused on the screening of mammalian recombinant DNA libraries to identify the coding sequences for novel secreted proteins. We herein describe the identification and characterization of a novel secreted protein designated herein as PRO1343.

71. PRO1480

Semaphorins are a large family of transmembrane and secreted proteins, many of which are expressed in the nervous system. Members of the semaphorin family include both ligands and receptors. (Eckhardt et al., Mol. Cell. Neurosci. 9: 409-419 (1997)). Studies have revealed a role for semaphorins in embryonic motor and central nervous system axon guidance and synapse formation. (Catalano et al., Mol. Cell. Neurosci., 11: 173-182 (1998); Kitsukawa et al., Neuron, 19: 995-1005 (1997); Yu et al., Neuron, 20: 207-220 (1998)). Semaphorins have been shown to induce neuronal growth cone collapse and alter their pathway in vivo. (Shoji et al., Development, 125: 1275-1283 (1998)). Members of the semaphorin family have been shown to be immunologically active, inducing cytokine production in human monocytes. (Comeau et al., Immunity, 8: 473-482 (1998)). Semaphorins may also play a role in cancer. Expression of a mouse semaphorin gene is known to correlate with metastatic ability in mouse tumor cell lines. (Christensen et al., Cancer Res., 58: 1238-1244 (1998)).

72. PRO1487

Fringe is a protein which specifically blocks serrate-mediated activation of notch in the dorsal compartment of the Drosophila wing imaginal disc (see Fleming et al., Development, 124(15):2973-81 (1997); Wu et al. Science (1996) 273(5273):355-358). Fringe protein is also involved in vertebrate development where a thickening of the apical ectodermal ridge essential for limb bud outgrowth involves an interaction between dorsal cells that express radical fringe and those that do not (see Wolpert, L. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 1998) 353(1370):871-875; Kengaku et al. Science (1998) 280(5367): 1274-1277; Cohen et al. Nat. Genet. (1997) 16(3):283-288; Johnston et al. Development (1997) 124(11):2245-2254; Laufer et al. Nature (1997) 386(6623):366-373; Rodriguez-Esteban et al. Nature (1997) 386(6623):360-366;). ). Therefore, fringe protein is of interest for both its role in development as well as its ability to regulate serrate, particularly serrate's signaling abilities. Also of interest are novel polypeptides which may have a role in development and/or the regulation of serrate-like molecules. Of particular interest are novel polypeptides having homology to fringe protein.

73. PRO1418

Efforts are being undertaken by both industry and academia to identify new, native secreted proteins. Many efforts are focused on the screening of mammalian recombinant DNA libraries to identify the coding sequences for novel secreted proteins. We herein describe the identification and characterization of a novel secreted protein designated herein as PRO1418.

74. PRO1472

Butyrophilin is a milk glycoprotein that constitutes more than 40% of the total protein associated with the fat globule membrane in mammalian milk. Expression of butyrophilin mRNA has been shown to correlate with the onset of milk fat production toward the end pregnancy and is maintained throughout lactation. Butyrophilin has been identified in bovine, murine and human (see Taylor et al., Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1306:1-4 (1996), Ishii et al., Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1245:285-292 (1995), Mather et al., J. Dairy Sci. 76:3832-3850 (1993), Ogg, et al., Mamm. Genome, 7(12):900-905 (1996), Sato, et al., J. Biochem., 117(1): 147-157 (1995) and Banghart et al., J. Biol. Chem. 273:4171-4179 (1998)) and is a type I transmembrane protein that is incorporated into the fat globulin membrane. It has been suggested that butyrophilin may play a role as the principle scaffold for the assembly of a complex with xanthine dehydrogenase/oxidase and other proteins that function in the budding and release of milk-fat globules from the apical surface during lactation (Banghart et al., supra). Given that butyrophilin plays a role in mammalian milk production, there is substantial interest in identifying novel butyrophilin homologs. Members of the butyrophilin family are further described in Tazi-Ahnini, et al., Immunogenetics, 47(1):55-63 (1997); Davey, et al., Gene, 199(1-2):57-62 (1997); and Mather and Jack, J. Dairy Sci., 76(12):3832-3850 (1993).

75. PRO1461

Proteases are enzymatic proteins which are involved in many biological processes in mammalian and non-mammalian organisms including digestion, protein activation and inactivation, modulation of peptide hormone activity, and alteration of the physical properties of proteins and enzymes. Serine proteases comprise a large class of enzymes that exhibit specific activity toward various serine-containing proteins. Trypsin, which is synthesized by the pancreas and secreted to the small intestine, is a well-characterized serine protease that hydrolyzes peptide bonds of ingested proteins. Trypsin-like proteases have been characterized that are cell-surface proteins (see Farley et al. Biochim Biophys Acta (1993) 173(3):350-352; and Leytus et al. Biochemistry (1988) 27(3) 1067-1074). It is believed that some of these trypsin-like proteins may be synthesized as a membrane-bound precursor which matures to a soluble and active protease (Yamaoka et al. J. Biol. Chem (1998) 273(19):11895-11901).

Because of there importance in metabolism and other enzymatic processes, efforts are being undertaken by both industry and academia to identify new, native serine-like proteases. Many efforts are focused on the screening of mammalian recombinant DNA libraries to identify the coding sequences for novel receptor proteins.

76. PRO1410

Efforts are being undertaken by both industry and academia to identify new, native transmembrane and receptor proteins. Many efforts are focused on the screening of mammalian recombinant DNA libraries to identify the coding sequences for novel transmembrane proteins. We herein describe the identification and characterization of a novel transmembrane polypeptide designated herein as PRO1410.

77. PRO1568

The tetraspanin (or tetraspan) family of proteins has grown to include approximately twenty known genes from various species. The tetraspanins are four transmembrane domain membrane-bound molecules which include for example, CD81, CD82, CD9, CD63, CD37 and CD53. Many of these proteins have a flair for promiscuous associations with other molecules, including lineage-specific proteins, integrins, and other transpanins. In terms of function, they are involved in diverse processes such as cell activation and proliferation, adhesion and motility, differentiation and cancer. One study has proposed that these functions may all relate to their ability to act as “molecular facilitators”, grouping specific cell-surface proteins and thus increasing the formation and stability of functional signaling complexes. Maecker, et al., FASEB, 11(6):428-42 (1997). Another study concludes that they are responsible for changes in cell morphology, cell-ECM adhesion and cell-signaling. Skubitz, et al., J. Immunology, 157:3617-3626 (1996). Thus, new members of this family are of interest.

78. PRO1570

Proteases are enzymatic proteins which are involved in many biological processes in mammalian and non-mammalian organisms including digestion, protein activation and inactivation, modulation of peptide hormone activity, and alteration of the physical properties of proteins and enzymes. Serine proteases comprise a large class of enzymes that exhibit specific activity toward various serine-containing proteins. Trypsin, which is synthesized by the pancreas and secreted to the small intestine, is a well-characterized serine protease that hydrolyzes peptide bonds of ingested proteins. Trypsin-like proteases have been characterized that are cell-surface proteins (see Farley et al. Biochim Biophys Acta (1993) 1173(3):350-352; and Leytus et al. Biochemistry (1988) 27(3):1067-1074). It is believed that some of these trypsin-like proteins may be synthesized as a membrane-bound precursor which matures to a soluble and active protease (Yamaoka et al. J. Biol. Chem (1998) 273(19): 11895-11901).

Of particular interest are human colon carcinoma derived serine proteases SP59, SP60 and SP67 which may be useful to screen for specific inhibitors or modulators to use in treatment of associated disease states and disorders related to these proteins. In Japanese patent J09149790-A, SP60 is reported to be identified, having accession number P_W22986 and 233 amino acids.

79. PRO1317

Members of the semaphorin family of glycoproteins play important roles in the developing nervous system, and more particularly in axonal guidance. Semaphorins have been identified in the human immune system, where they are believed to play functional roles including B-cell signaling (Hall et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci (1996) 93(21):11780-50). A human semaphorin gene, useful in the diagnosis of nervous system an immune disorders, is disclosed in Japanese Pat. No. J10155490-A, published Jun. 16, 1998. The identification of additional members of the semaphorin family if of interest.

80. PRO1780

Enzymatic proteins that may be implicated in metabolic diseases or disorders are of particular interest. The enzymatic addition of sugars to fat-soluble chemicals is an important process that increases their solubility in water and aids in their excretion. In mammals, glucuronic acid is the main sugar that is used to prevent the waste products of metabolism and fat-soluble chemicals from reaching toxic levels in the body. The UDP glucuronosyltransferases that carry out this reaction are part of a super family of UDP glycosyltransferases found in animals, plants and bacteria. In the liver, UDP-glucuronosyltransferase conjugates bilirubin. There are a number of conditions which affect UDP-glucuronosyltransferase activity resulting in unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia. These conditions include genetic disorders such as Crigler-Najjar Syndrome (see Jurgen et al., Biochem. J. (1996) 314:477-483) and Gilbert syndrome, as well as acquired conditions such as Lucey-Driscoll Syndrome. Accordingly, the identification of novel members of the glucuronosyltransferase family is of interest (see Tukey et al., J. Biol. Chem. (1993) 268(20): 15260-6; and WO9212987-A).

81. PRO1486

The cerebellum contains a hexadecapeptide, termed cerebellin, that is conserved in sequence from human to chicken. Three independent, overlapping cDNA clones have been isolated from a human cerebellum cDNA library that encode the cerebellin sequence. The longest clone codes for a protein of 193 amino acids generally termed precerebellin, or a cerebellin precursor. This protein has a significant similarity to the globular region of the B chain of human complement component Cl q. The region of relatedness extends approximately over 145 amino acids located in the carboxyl terminus of both proteins. Unlike Clq B chain, no collagen-like motifs are present in the amino-terminal regions of precerebellin. It is believed that cerebellin is not liberated from precerebellin by the classical dibasic amino acid protealytic cleavage mechanism seen in many neuropeptide precursors. The cerebellin precursor has been associated with synaptic physiology. Urade, et al., PNAS, USA, 88(3):1069-1073 (1991). Cerebellin, its precursor, and related molecules, particularly those having sequence identity with cerebellin, are therefore of interest.

82. PRO1433

Efforts are being undertaken by both industry and academia to identify new, native transmembrane and receptor proteins. Many efforts are focused on the screening of mammalian recombinant DNA libraries to identify the coding sequences for novel transmembrane proteins. We herein describe the identification and characterization of a novel transmembrane polypeptide designated herein as PRO1433.

83. PRO1490

Enzymatic proteins play important roles in the chemical reactions involved in the digestion of foods, the biosynthesis of macromolecules, the controlled release and utilization of chemical energy, and other processes necessary to sustain life. Acyltransferases are enzymes which acylate moieties. For example, acyl-glycerol-phosphate acyltransferases can act on lysophosphatidic acid as a substrate. The lysophosphatidic acid is converted to phophatidic acid and thus plays a role in forming phosphatidylethanolamine found in membranes. See, Brown, et al., Plant Mol. Biol., 26(l):211-223 (1994). Moreover, 1-acyl-sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (LPAAT) is an enzymatic protein that shows a preference for medium-chain-length fatty acyl-coenzyme A substrates. See, Knutson et al., Plant Physiol. 109:999-1006 (1995)). Thus, acyltransferases play an important role in the biosynthesis of molecules requiring acylation.

We herein describe the identification and characterization of novel polypeptides having homology to a 1-acyl-sn-glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase protein, designated herein as PRO1490 polypeptides.

84. PRO1482

Efforts are being undertaken by both industry and academia to identify new, native secreted proteins. Many efforts are focused on the screening of mammalian recombinant DNA libraries to identify the coding sequences for novel secreted proteins. We herein describe the identification and characterization of a novel secreted protein designated herein as PRO1482.

85. PRO1446

Efforts are being undertaken by both industry and academia to identify new, native secreted proteins. Many efforts are focused on the screening of mammalian recombinant DNA libraries to identify the coding sequences for novel secreted proteins. We herein describe the identification and characterization of a novel secreted protein designated herein as PRO1446.

86. PRO1558

Methyltransferase enzymes catalyze the transfer of methyl groups from a donor molecule to an acceptor molecule. Methyltransferase enzymes play extremely important roles in a number of different biological processes including, for example, in the electron transport chain in the plasma membrane in prokaryotes and in the inner mitochondrial membrane in eukaryotic cells (see, e.g., Barkovich et al., J. Biol. Chem. 272:9182-9188 (1997), Dibrov et al., J. Biol. Chem. 272:9175-9181 (1997), Lee et al., J. Bacteriol. 179:1748-1754 (1997) and Marbois et al., Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 313:83-88 (1994)). Methyltransferase enzymes have been shown to be essential for the biosynthesis of ubiquinone (coenzyme Q) and menaquinone (vitamin K2), both of which are essential isoprenoid quinone components of the respiratory electron transport chain. Given the obvious importance of the methyltransferase enzymes, there is substantial interest in identifying novel polypeptide homologs of the methyltransferases. We herein describe the identification and characterization of a novel polypeptide having homology to methyltransferase enzymes, designated herein as PRO1558 polypeptides.

87. PRO1604

The identification of novel growth factors is of particular interest because of the roles they play in inducing cellular growth, proliferation and differentiation in both normal states and abnormal states. The identification of growth factors that are over- or under-expressed in abnormal tissues (e.g. tumors) may lead to the development of diagnostic tools and therapeutic agents. Growth factors have been isolated from hepatoma-derived cell lines. Hepatoma-derived growth factors have been isolated from mouse (Japanese Pat. No. J09313185-A, published Dec. 9, 1997) and human (Japanese Pat. No. J06343470-A, published Dec. 20, 1994) tissues. A hepatoma-derived growth factor, isolated from a human hepatoma-derived cell line, has been found to be ubiquitously expressed in several tumor-derived cell lines, as well as in normal tissues (Nakamura et al., J. Biol. Chem (1994) 269(40):25143-9). The growth factor was determined to be a novel heparin-binding protein that is mitogenic for fibroblasts.

88. PRO1491

The neuronal cell body is usually round like any other cell. However, these cells have structures, also referred to as “processes”, which grow from them to form synaptic connections. Some of these processes carry information away from the cell body; sometimes over very long distances. These long and thin processes are axons. The axon is a thin, static tube. Other processes carry information either towards the cell body, or both towards and away from the cell body. These shorter and usually thicker processes are called dendrites. Both axons and dendrites are called neurites.

During development and the growth stage of neurons, neurites are formed by means of growth cones. A growth cone is the growing tip of a neurite. The growth cone is flattened and highly motile. It is where new material is added and further extension of the axon originates. Controlling where the growth cone crawls controls were the axon will be laid down and thus where it will be present.

The growth cone has several defmable parts. The thin, flattened, veil-like processes that stick out and retract from the leading edge are called lamellipodia. The needle-like processes that stick out and retract from the leading edge are called microspikes or filopodia. These are the structures involved in pushing the leading edge of the growth cone forward.

The accurate navigation of growth cones to their appropriate targets requires that they recognize and respond to navigational cues in their immediate environment. Some of these cues encourage extension into certain areas whereas others discourage extension into others. Well characterized molecules that encourage neurite outgrowth in vitro include the extracellular matrix molecule laminin and the neuronal cell surface molecule L1/G4/8D9. These molecules which promote neurite extension are generally widely distributed throughout the body. Laminin immunoreactivity is reasonably widespread in the developing central and peripheral nervous systems. Similarly, L1/G4/8D9 is present on a wide variety of neuronal processes in the developing central nervous system, particularly long projecting axons. It is, therefore, unclear whether the known outgrowth promoting molecules play an important role in self-specific choices growth cones make as they decide between possible routes. Instead, their function is believed to provide a generally permissive environment in which growth cones extend and respond to more specific navigational cues.

Among these more specific cues are molecules that inhibit the motility of particular growth cones. Growth cones have been observed to lose their motile morphology and cease advancing (collapse) on contact with other neurites of different types. Territory formation in vitro may mean the manifestation of a process that leads to selective fasciculation in vivo. Some growth cones have been observed to crawl along specific axonal pathways, or stereotype sequences of axonal pathways in developing embryos. Specific motility inhibiting effects could determine which of several alternative pathways a growth cone will extend on. Growth cones would be expected to prefer growing on axons that do not induce them to collapse while shunning those that do.

It has been observed that, for example, sympathetic growth cones will be inhibited or collapse when coming in contact with retinal neurites. Likewise, growth cones of retinal neurites will collapse when coming in contact with sympathetic neurites. It is believed that such cell activity is achieved through the presence of receptors which specifically respond to specific growth inhibition cues by the molecules which transmit specific cues pertaining to growth. Cues are believed to be present on cell surfaces, particularly on axon surfaces.

When nerve damage occurs, repair is impeded or incapable of occurring due to the failure of neurites to replace damaged axons or dendrites. If an existing neurite is damaged, severed or destroyed, a new neurite is incapable of growing out from the cell body to replace it. The presence of molecules which inhibit neurite growth are believed to be responsible for the difficulty in neurite regeneration. Collapsins are proteins that function to modulate the activity of molecules which modulate growth cone extension.

We herein describe the identification and characterization of novel polypeptides having homology to a collapsin protein, designated herein as PRO1491 polypeptides.

89. PRO1431

The transduction of intracellular signaling is crucial to cell processing such as differentiation, motility and division. Such signal transduction is believed to occur throughout the cell in the form of complex interactions between proteins. Such protein-protein interactions are often mediated by modular domains within signaling proteins. As a result, signal transduction is now modeled as a system in which molecules act in a combination, and the composition of that combination, determines the signal.

Src homology domains (e.g., SH2 and SH3) are two domains found in regions of sequence similarity of proteins involved in signal transduction. Early work on the oncogenic tyrosine kinase Src identified the SH2 domain. Since then, SH2 and SH3 domains have been found in many diverse proteins, making them among the most common type of structural motif. SH2 and SH3 domains are modular in that they fold independently of the protein that contains them, their secondary structure places N- and C- termini close to one another in space, and they appear at variable locations (anywhere from N- to C-terminal) from one protein ot the next (Cohen et al., Cell 80: 237-348, 1995).

Early studies that mutated the SH2 or SH3 domain showed that these two domains were important for function, but it was not until the cloning of unrelated families of signaling proteins such as RAS-GAP, and the Crk oncogene that the modular nature of these domains was revealed. These latter experiments demonstrated that RAS-GAP and Crk bound tightly to receptor tyrosine kinases upon ligand stimulation. Follow-up studies demonstrated that the mechanism of this binding was through the SH2 domain and that receptor autophosphorylation was required. Such a finding implied that activation of the receptor tyrosine kinase could be viewed as a means of changing the binding aspect of the intracellular domain, and the receptor-SH2 containing protein interaction would initiate the signal transduction cascade.

SH3 domains have a more general function than that which is purported for SH2. SH3 binding proteins have been isolated by screening bacteriophage expression libraries with labeled SH3 domains. The results of these experiments showed that SH3 domains would bind to short proline-rich peptides, in particular the motif PxxP. Based on the level of knowledge present at the time of the preparation of the present patent application, all of the SH3 binding sites identified have the property of being proline rich. Binding of an SH3 domain is independent of covalent modification of the binding site, such as phosphorylation as occurs with the SH2 domain. As a result, SH3-ligand interactions are usually constitutive and not inducible, although exceptions do exist. In general, SH3 domains are less likely to act as signal “switches” than as a means of assembling protein complexes via moderate-affinity interactions. Such moderate affinity interactions also imply that the SH3-mediated interactions will be relatively short in duration and remodeled in response to changes in concentration of binding partners.

The resolution of binding characteristics of SH2 and SH3 domains has led to proposed compounds which would block signal transduction. Peptidomrnimetic ligands based on the sequence of target proteins for SH2 and SH3 domains may represent new lead compounds for the therapy of proliferative diseases that are dependent upon constitutively activated tyrosine kinases (e.g., BCR/ABL in chronic myelogenous and acute lymphocytic leukemias or HER-2/Neu in breast and ovarian cancer).

90. PRO1563

Cellular disintegrin and metalloproteinase (ADAMs) are a family of genes with a sequence similar to those of snake venom metalloproteinases and disintegrins. The ADAMTS-1 gene encodes a new type of ADAM protein with respect to possessing the thrombospondin (TSP) type I motifs, the expression of which is associated with the inflammatory process (Kuno et al., J. Biol. Chem. 273:13912-13917 (1998), Kuno et al., Genomics 46:466-471 (1997) and Kuno et al., J. Biol. Chem. 272:556-562 (1997)). Expression of the ADAMTS-1 gene is induced in kidney and heart by in vivo administration of lipopolysaccharide, suggesting a possible role in the inflammation reaction. In this regard, the ADAMTS-1 protein has been suggested as playing a possible role in various inflammatory processes as well as in the development of cancer cachexia (Kuno et al., 1998, supra). We herein describe the identification and characterization of novel polypeptides having homology to ADAMTS-1 protein, designated herein as PRO1563 polypeptides.

91. PRO1565

Chondromodulin proteins are cartilage-generated matrix components that synergistically stimulate the growth and differentiation of chondrocytes (Suzuki, Connect. Tissue Res. 35:303-307 (1996)). More specifically, chondromodulin-I functions to inhibit the proliferation of vascular endothelial cells and tube formation, thereby functioning to stimulate cartilage growth and inhibiting replacing cartilage by bone in an early stage. Chondromodulin-II, while not capable of inhibiting vascularization like chondromodulin-I, also functions to stimulate osteoclast differentiation and cartilage growth. As such, these two polypeptides are essential for the regulation of the formation of cartilage and endochondral bone structures. Given the extremely important physiological roles played by the chondromodulin proteins, there is significant interest in identifying and characterizing novel polypeptides having homology to these proteins. We herein describe the identification and characterization of novel polypeptides having homology to chondromodulin-I protein, designated herein as PRO1565 polypeptides.

92. PRO1571

Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin (CPE) is considered to be the virulence factor responsible for causing the symptoms of C. perfringens type A food poisoning and may also be involved in other human and veterinary illnesses (McClane, Toxicon. 34:1335-1343 (1996)). CPE carries out its adverse cellular functions by binding to an approximately 50 kD cell surface receptor protein designated the Clostridium perfiingens enterotoxin receptor (CPE-R) to form an approximately 90,000 kD complex on the surface of the cell. cDNAs encoding the CPE-R protein have been identified characterized in both human and mouse (Katahira et al., J. Cell Biol. 136:1239-1247 (1997) and Katahira et al., J. Biol. Chem. 272:26652-26658 (1997)). Since the CPE toxin has been reported to cause a variety of illnesses in mammalian hosts and those illnesses are initiated by binding of the CPE toxin to the CPE-R, there is significant interest in identifying novel CPE-R homologs. We herein describe the identification and characterization of novel polypeptides having homology to the CPE-R, designated herein as PRO1679 polypeptides.

93. PRO1572

Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin utilizes two structurally related membrane proteins as functional receptors in vivo. Human and mouse cDNAs showing homology to the Clostridium enterotoxin receptor (CPE-R) gene have previously been cloned as described in Katahira, et al., J. Biol. Chem., 272(42):26652-8 (1997). They have been classified into two groups, the Vero cell CPE receptor homologues and rat androgen withdrawal apoptosis protein (RVP1). These receptors are thus of interest as are related molecules. Of particular interest is the use of these receptors and related molecules in the identification of modulators of these receptors.

Also of interest are members of the claudin family and molecules related thereto. Claudins are integral membrane proteins localizing at tight junctions with no sequence similarity to occludin. Furuse, et al., J. Cell Biol., 141(7):1539-50 (1998).

94. PRO1573

Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin utilizes two structurally related membrane proteins as functional receptors in vivo. Human and mouse cDNAs showing homology to the Clostridium enterotoxin receptor (CPE-R) gene have previously been cloned as described in Katahira, et al., J. Biol. Chem., 272(42):26652-8 (1997). They have been classified into two groups, the Vero cell CPE receptor homologues and rat androgen withdrawal apoptosis protein (RVP1). These receptors are thus of interest as are related molecules. Of particular interest is the use of these receptors and related molecules in the identification of modulators of these receptors.

Also of interest is the ventral prostate. 1 protein (RVP. 1) which is transcriptionally induced in the regressing rat prostate after castration. This protein is further described in Peacock, et al., Genomics, 46(3):443-9 (1997).

95. PRO1488

Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin utilizes two structurally related membrane proteins as functional receptors in vivo. Human and mouse cDNAs showing homology to the Clostridium enterotoxin receptor (CPE-R) gene have previously been cloned as described in Katahira, et al., J. Biol. Chem.,

1. An isolated polypeptide comprising: (a) the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide of SEQ ID NO:194; (b) the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide of SEQ ID NO:194, lacking its associated signal peptide; (c) the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide encoded by the full-length coding sequence of the cDNA deposited under ATCC accession number 203232.

2. The isolated polypeptide of claim 1 comprising the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide of SEQ ID NO:194.

3. The isolated polypeptide of claim 1 comprising the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide of SEQ ID NO:194, lacking its associated signal peptide.

4. The isolated polypeptide of claim 1 comprising the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide encoded by the full-length coding sequence of the cDNA deposited under ATCC accession number 203232.

5. A chimeric polypeptide comprising a polypeptide according to claim 1 fused to a heterologous polypeptide.

6. The chimeric polypeptide of claim 5, wherein said heterologous polypeptide is an epitope tag or an Fc region of an immunoglobulin.