Nucleic acids encoding modulators of body weight

US8173793B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• The Rockefeller University · US

Inventors

• Jeffrey Friedman · New York, US
• Yiying Zhang · New York, US
• Ricardo Proenca · New York, US
• Margherita Maffei · New York, US
• Jeffrey L. Halaas · New York, US
• Ketan Gajiwala · San Diego, US
• Stephen K. Burley · New York, US

Key dates

• Filing date: May 6, 2009
• Grant date: May 8, 2012
• Expiry date: Apr 4, 2030

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10S930/14
• WIPO field: Pharmaceuticals
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

The present invention relates generally to the control of body weight of animals including mammals and humans, and more particularly to nucleic acids encoding materials identified herein as modulators of weight. In its broadest aspect, the present invention relates to the elucidation and discovery of nucleotide sequences, and proteins putatively expressed by such nucleotides, that demonstrate the ability to participate in the control of mammalian body weight. The nucleotide sequences in object represent the genes corresponding to the murine and human ob gene, that have been postulated to play a critical role in the regulation of body weight and adiposity. Preliminary data, presented herein, suggests that the polypeptide product of the gene in question functions as a hormone. The present invention further provides nucleic acid molecules for use as molecular probes, or as primers for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification, i.e., synthetic or natural oligonucleotides.