Composition and Method for Treatment of Tumors

Abstract

The present invention relates to a composition which is useful in the treatment of a tumor, a method for making such a composition, and a method for using such a composition. The invention relates also to a method for assaying for inhibitors of the activity of Core 1 protein and/or other proteins of the respiratory complex III of mitochondria.

1 - 30 . (canceled) 
     
     
         31 . A method for conducting an assay to determine whether a compound is an inhibitor of TNF-suppressing activity of a Complex III protein comprising comparing the viability of (A) cells expressing said Complex III protein that have been grown in the presence of a member of the TNF superfamily and that have been contacted with said compound with the viability of (B) cells from the same cell line that also express said Complex III protein, that have been grown in the absence of a member of the TNF superfamily and that have been contacted with said compound. 
     
     
         32 . A method according to  claim 31  wherein said Complex III protein is Core 1. 
     
     
         33 . A method according to  claim 32  in which said cells are from the HCT116 cell line and which have been transfected with an exogenous transgene that encodes a Core 1 protein. 
     
     
         34 . A method according to  claim 33  wherein said transgene is human. 
     
     
         35 . A method according to  claim 32  in which said cells are from the HCT116 cell line and have been transfected with an exogenous transgene that encodes a portion of a Core 1 protein. 
     
     
         36 . A method according to  claim 31  wherein said member of the TNF superfamily is TRAIL. 
     
     
         37 . A method for conducting an assay to determine whether a compound is an inhibitor of the TNF-suppressing activity of a Complex III protein comprising:
 (A) contacting said compound with cells that express said protein and that have been grown in the presence of a member of the TNF superfamily for a predetermined amount of time;   (B) contacting the compound with cells from the same cell line as those above that express said protein and that have been grown in the absence of a member of the TNF superfamily for the same predetermined amount of time; and   (C) comparing the viability of the cells from (B) above with the cells from (A) above.   
     
     
         38 . A method according to  claim 37  wherein said Complex III protein is Core 1. 
     
     
         39 . A method for conducting an assay to determine whether a compound is an inhibitor of the activity of a Complex III protein comprising:
 (A) growing cells expressing said protein from a cell line in the presence of a member of the TNF superfamily;   (B) growing cells expressing said protein from the same cell line in the absence of a member of the TNF superfamily;   (C) contacting said compound with cells of (A) above;   (D) contacting said compound with cells of (B) above; and,   (E) after a predetermined period of time, comparing the viability of the cells of (B) above with the viability of the cells of (A) above.   
     
     
         40 . A method according to  claim 39  wherein said Complex III protein is Core 1. 
     
     
         41 . A method for conducting an assay to determine whether a compound is an inhibitor of TNF-suppressing activity of a Complex III protein comprising comparing the viability of cells that express said protein and that have been contacted with both a member of the TNF superfamily and said compound with the viability of cells from the same cell line that express said protein and that have been contacted with said compound but not with a member of the TNF superfamily. 
     
     
         42 . A method according to  claim 41  wherein said Complex III protein is Core 1. 
     
     
         43 . A method for conducting an assay to determine whether a compound is an inhibitor of the TNF-suppressing activity of a Complex III protein comprising:
 (A) contacting cells which express said protein from a cell line with a member of the TNF superfamily and said compound;   (B) contacting cells which express said protein from the same cell line with said compound but not with a member of the TNF superfamily; and   (C) comparing the viability of the cells of (B) above with the cells of (A) above.   
     
     
         44 . A method according to  claim 36  wherein said Complex III protein is Core 1.