COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR THE TREATMENT OF VprBP-RELATED CANCERS

Abstract

This disclosure provides methods and compositions to inhibit or suppress tumor growth or to treat cancer by inhibiting VprBP kinase activity. Also provided are methods of determining the effectiveness of the methods and compositions to inhibit or suppress tumor growth or to treat cancer by inhibiting VprBP kinase activity, methods for detecting a cancer, and methods for screening potential agents that inhibit VprBP kinase activity.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for on or more of:
 a. inhibiting the growth of a cancer cell;   b. activating tumor suppressor function in a cell comprising functional tumor suppressor genes; and   c. inhibiting H2AT120P in a cell comprising functional H2AT120P,   comprising contacting the cell with an effective amount of an agent that inhibits VprBP kinase activity in the cell, wherein the agent is the composition of  claim 3  or  4 .   
     
     
         2 . A method for inhibiting the growth of a cancer cell in a patient or treating cancer in a patient, comprising administering to the patient in need thereof an effective amount of the composition of  claim 3  or  4 . 
     
     
         3 . A composition comprising a carrier and a VprBR kinase-specific RNAi. 
     
     
         4 . The composition of  claim 3 , wherein VprBR kinase-specific RNAi is selected from the group of reference polynucleotides of consisting of VprBP shRNA1 (SEQ ID NO: 1: 5′-CGAGAAACTGAGTCAAATGAA-3′), VprBP shRNA2 (SEQ ID NO: 2: 5′-AATCACAGAGTATCTTAGA-3′) and Bub1 shRNA (SEQ ID NO: 3:5′-CGAGGTTAATCCAGCACGTAT-3′), or an equivalent thereof, wherein an equivalent of each thereof, wherein an equivalent thereof comprises a polynucleotide that has at least 80% sequence identity to the reference polynucleotide and inhibits VprBP kinase activity or a polynucleotide that hybridizes under conditions of high stringency to the reference polynucleotide or its complement, wherein conditions of high stringency comprise hybridization reaction at about 60° C. in about 1×SSC and inhibits VprBP kinase activity. 
     
     
         5 . The composition of  claim 3 , wherein the carrier is a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier or an in situ device. 
     
     
         6 . The composition of  claim 5 , wherein the device is a catheter.