Cancer antigens and utilization thereof

Abstract

An object of the present invention to provide: a human pancreatic cancer antigen and/or a human colon cancer antigen that can be applied to the diagnosis and/or treatment of various types of cancers or tumors including pancreatic cancer and colon cancer as representative examples; a gene encoding the same; an anti-cancer vaccine using the same; or the like. The present invention provides a cancer antigen comprising a protein having the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 1; a peptide comprising a portion of said protein and having immune-stimulating activity; an anti-cancer vaccine comprising said peptide; a DNA having the nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 2, or its complementary sequence or a part or full length of these sequence; an anti-cancer vaccine comprising said DNA; and use thereof.

1 . A cancer antigen comprising a protein of any of the following (A) or (B): 
 (A) a protein having the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 1; or    (B) a protein having an amino acid sequence comprising a substitution, deletion, insertion, and/or addition of one or several amino acids with respect to the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 1, and also having immune-stimulating activity.    
     
     
         2 . An immune-stimulating agent used for cancers, which comprises the cancer antigen of  claim 1 .  
     
     
         3 . A peptide comprising a portion of the cancer antigen of  claim 1  and having immune-stimulating activity.  
     
     
         4 . The peptide of  claim 3  which can activate cytotoxic T lymphocytes recognizing a cancer antigen protein.  
     
     
         5 . The peptide of  claim 3  which has the amino acid sequence shown in any one of SEQ ID NOS: 3 to 22.  
     
     
         6 . A peptide, which has an amino acid sequence comprising a substitution, deletion, insertion, and/or addition of one or several amino acids with respect to the amino acid sequence shown in any one of SEQ ID NOS: 3 to 22, and has immune-stimulating activity.  
     
     
         7 . The peptide of  claim 6  which can activate cytotoxic T lymphocytes which recognize a cancer antigen protein.  
     
     
         8 . An immune-stimulating agent used for cancers, which comprises the peptide of  claim 3 .  
     
     
         9 . A DNA encoding the cancer antigen of  claim 1 .  
     
     
         10 . A DNA of any one of the following (a), (b), and (c): 
 (a) DNA having the nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 2;    (b) DNA hybridizing with the DNA having the nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 2 under stringent conditions, and encoding a protein having immune-stimulating activity; and    (c) DNA having a partial sequence of the DNA of (a) or (b) above, and encoding a protein having immune-stimulating activity.    
     
     
         11 . An antibody against a cancer antigen comprising a protein of any of the following (A) or (B): 
 (A) a protein having the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 1; or    (B) a protein having an amino acid sequence comprising a substitution, deletion, insertion, and/or addition of one or several amino acids with respect to the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 1, and also having immune-stimulating activity or the peptide of  claim 3 .    
     
     
         12 . A helper T cells, cytotoxic T lymphocytes, or an immunocyte population comprising these cells, which are induced by in vitro stimulation using a cancer antigen comprising a protein of any of the following (A) or (B): 
 (A) a protein having the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 1; or    (B) a protein having an amino acid sequence comprising a substitution, deletion, insertion, and/or addition of one or several amino acids with respect to the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 1, and also having immune-stimulating activity or the peptide of  claim 3  or a mixture thereof.    
     
     
         13 . A helper T cells, cytotoxic T lymphocytes, or an immunocyte population comprising these cells, which are induced by in vitro stimulation using a cancer antigen comprising a protein of any of the following (A) or (B): 
 (A) a protein having the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 1; or    (B) a protein having an amino acid sequence comprising a substitution, deletion, insertion, and/or addition of one or several amino acids with respect to the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 1, and also having immune-stimulating activity or the peptide of  claim 3  or a mixture thereof, and an immune activator.    
     
     
         14 . The helper T cells, cytotoxic T lymphocytes or the immunocyte population comprising these cells according to  claim 13 , wherein the immune activator is a cell growth factor or cytokine.  
     
     
         15 . A method for suppressing a tumor, which comprises introducing the helper T cells, cytotoxic T lymphocytes, or the immunocyte population comprising these cells of  claim 12  into a body.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15  which is used to prevent and/or treat cancers.  
     
     
         17 . A cell culture solution used to produce the helper T cells or cytotoxic T lymphocytes or an immunocyte population comprising these cells of  claim 12 , which comprises a cancer antigen comprising a protein of any of the following (A) or (B): 
 (A) a protein having the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 1; or    (B) a protein having an amino acid sequence comprising a substitution, deletion, insertion, and/or addition of one or several amino acids with respect to the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 1, and also having immune-stimulating activity or a peptide, or a mixture thereof.    
     
     
         18 . A cell culture kit for producing the helper T cells or cytotoxic T lymphocytes or an immunocyte population comprising these cells of  claim 12 , which comprises a cell culture solution and a cell culture vessel.  
     
     
         19 . A cancer vaccine comprising a cancer antigen comprising a protein of any of the following (A) or (B): 
 (A) a protein having the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 1; or    (B) a protein having an amino acid sequence comprising a substitution, deletion, insertion, and/or addition of one or several amino acids with respect to the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 1, and also having immune-stimulating activity and/or at least one type of peptide of  claim 3 .    
     
     
         20 . The cancer vaccine of  claim 19  which further comprises an adjuvant.  
     
     
         21 . A cancer vaccine, which comprises the DNA of  claim 9  or recombinant virus or recombinant bacteria comprising said DNA.  
     
     
         22 . The cancer vaccine of  claim 21  which further comprises an adjuvant.  
     
     
         23 . A probe for diagnosing cancers, which comprises the DNA of  claim 9 .  
     
     
         24 . An agent for diagnosing cancers, which comprises the cancer diagnostic probe of  claim 23  and/or an antibody.  
     
     
         25 . An agent for preventing and/or treating cancers, which comprises a cancer antigen comprising a protein of any of the following (A) or (B): 
 (A) a protein having the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 1; or    (B) a protein having an amino acid sequence comprising a substitution, deletion, insertion, and/or addition of one or several amino acids with respect to the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 1, and also having immune-stimulating activity, the peptide of  claim 3 , an antibody, and/or helper T cells, cytotoxic T lymphocytes or immunocyte population comprising these cells.    
     
     
         26 . The probe of  claim 23  wherein the cancer is pancreatic cancer, colon cancer, brain tumor, malignant melanoma, chronic myelocytic leukemia, acute myelocytic leukemia, lymphoma, esophageal cancer, kidney cancer, prostatic cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, stomach cancer, hepatic cancer, gallbladder cancer, testicular cancer, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, thyroid cancer, bladder cancer, or sarcoma.