Treatment and diagnosis of immune disorders

Abstract

Disclosed are composition and methods for treating immune disorders. Also disclosed are diagnosis methods and prognosis methods.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for managing patient treatment comprising
 identifying a patient under, or in need of, a treatment for a condition,   obtaining a biological sample from the patient, and   determining the expression level of a gene encoding a polypeptide containing SEQ ID NO: 1 in the sample,   
       wherein the patient is determined to be suitable for the treatment if the level is at or above a predetermined value. 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises communicating the expression level to the patient or to a physician or a caretaker of the patient. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the condition is a cellular proliferative disorder. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the condition is an inflammatory or autoimmune disorder. 
     
     
         5 . A kit for diagnosing an immune disorder or for managing patient treatment, comprising one or more reagents selected from the group consisting of
 an antibody specific for a polypeptide having the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1,   a polypeptide having the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1,   a pair of PCR primers for amplifying a fragment of SEQ ID NO:2 or 3, and   a nucleic acid that, under a stringent condition, hybridizes to the compliment of a reference nucleic acid, wherein the reference nucleic acid consists of SEQ ID NO:2 or 3.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the disorder is ALL, CLL, AML, MDS, SLE, IBD, RA, or transplant rejection. 
     
     
         7 . A method of diagnosing an immune disorder in a subject, the method comprising obtaining a biological sample from the subject; and determining the expression level of a gene encoding a polypeptide containing SEQ ID NO:1 in the sample. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the disorder is a cellular proliferative disorder and the subject is determined to have or be prone to develop the cellular proliferative disorder if the expression level is below a first predetermined level or absent. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the disorder is an inflammatory or autoimmune disorder and the subject is determined to have or be prone to develop the disorder if the expression level is above a second predetermined level. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the determining step is carried out with a pair of PCR primers for amplifying a fragment of SEQ ID NO:2 or 3. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the determining step is carried out with an oligonucleotide that, under a stringent condition, hybridizes to the compliment of a reference nucleic acid, wherein the reference nucleic acid is the sequence of SEQ ID NO:2 or 3.