METHOD OF MEASURING THYMOPOIETIN PROTEINS IN PLASMA AND SERUM

Abstract: Method for accurately measuring thymopoietin (TP) in human serum or plasma by dissociating TP from protein complexes, releasing bound TP in an unbound form, extracting TP, preparing it for assay, and measuring TP levels in a suitable assay.

Description: METHOD OF MEASURING THYMOPOIETIN PROTEINS IN PLASMA AND SERUM The present invention relates generally to a method of measuring thymopoietin proteins in human plasma and serum samples. Background of the Invention The thymic hormone thymopoietin (TP) has been shown to play a regulatory role in immune, nervous, and endocrine functions and has been isolated from bovine and human thymus. For additional general information on TP, see, also, G.H. Sunshine et al , J. Immunol.. 120:1594- 1599 (1978); G. Goldstein, Nature. ϋ7:ll-14 (1974); D. H. Schlesinger and G. Goldstein, Cell. 5.:361-365 (1975); G. Goldstein et al., Lancet 2:256-262 (1975). TP has also been found to be present in brain extracts [R. H. Brown, et al . , Brain Research 381:237-243 (1986)]. Prior art bioassays which attempted to measure TP have been reported to be cumbersome, inaccurate and unreliable [J. J. Twomey, et al . , Proc. Na l. Acad. Sci. USA. 24:2541-2545 (1977); V. M. Lewis, et al., J. Clin. Endo. Metab. 42:145-150 (1978); J. J. Twomey, et al . , Am. J. Med. 6JL:377-380 (1980)]. Immunoassays are the preferred format for measuring peptides and proteins in plasma or serum, but prior attempts to develop immunoassays to measure TP have not yielded clinically useful techniques. For example, a displacement radioimmunoassay (RIA) for measuring bovine TP was developed that detected TP concentrations greater than 5 ng/mL in tissue extracts. However this RIA is incapable of measuring TP levels in serum [see, e.g., G. Goldstein, J. Immunol. 117:690-692 (1976)]. The sensitivity of the TP RIA was subsequently increased to 20 picograms (pg) [see, e.g., P.J. Lisi et al , Clin. Chim. ACTA. ip_ :m-119 (1980)] using "human serum-based standards" and rabbit antisera. However, this assay has not proved effective or reproducible in practice. In addition, the present inventors observed that 20 picogram sensitivity is too poor to detect human blood levels of TP. A sandwich enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) was later developed for bovine TP using a combination of polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies [A. Fuccello et al , Arch. Biochem. Biophvs.. 22£:292-298 (1984)]. Although the assay provided specificity in distinguishing bovine TP from bovine splenin, it proved ineffective in measuring serum TP in humans. There is considerable interest in the medical community in measuring TP levels for several reasons. For example, it has been found that as the thymus involutes with age, thymic hormone levels decrease, which is believed to be related to increased susceptibility to disease in aging [G. Goldstein and I. R. Mackay, The Human Thymus. Wm. Heineman Med. Books Ltd, , London (1969)]. Additionally, hypersecretion of TP has been implicated in myasthenia gravis [G. Goldstein, Lancet. 2:1164-1167 (1966)], as being involved in the impairment of transmission of signal from nerve to muscle. When this signal is interrupted, the result is generalized weakness. Thus, an assay capable of accurately detecting levels of human thymopoietin in plasma and serum is not yet available. In view of the clinical significance for TP, and the lack of current methods capable of accurately detecting total levels of these factors in both plasma and serum, there is a significant unmet need in the art for a reliable method of accurately measuring total levels of specific peptide factors in human plasma and serum. iiMinrv n ψ »he Invention In one aspect, the present invention provides a simple and a reliable diagnostic method for determining levels of thymopoietin proteins which are found in either an aggregated or complexed state or bound to another protein. This method is particularly adapted for use in serum and plasma of human origin. This method involves treating the sample under conditions sufficient to dissociate a selected peptide or protein factor, e.g., TP from association in protein complexes without denaturing the TP itself. Subsequent steps in the method include extraction of the TP protein to remove it from any assay interfering substances or complexing protein(s) present in the plasma/serum sample. The sample is then prepared for assay, and the TP protein measured by a selected assay. The method of the invention thus improves conventional TP assays, permitting them to detect levels of TP below 20 picograms. In still another aspect, the present invention provides a kit for use by clinical laboratories or physicians in detecting the presence and/or level of TP or TP proteins in a serum/plasma sample. Other aspects and advantages of the present invention are described further in the following detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof. Brief Description of the Drawings Fig. 1 illustrates the nucleic acid sequence [SEQ ID NO:l] and amino acid sequence [SEQ ID NO:2] of human TPα. Fig. 2 illustrates the nucleic acid sequence [SEQ ID NO:3] and amino acid sequence [SEQ ID NO:4] of human TPβ. Fig. 3 illustrates the nucleic acid [SEQ ID NO:5] and amino acid [SEQ ID NO:6] sequences of human TP Fig. 4 illustrates the sequence of synthetic human TP, amino acids 1-52 [SEQ ID NO:7]. Fig. 5 is a graph illustrating the results following extraction and recovery of free TP from human plasma using C18, reverse phase cartridges, as described in Example 2 below. The solid circle (•) represents the percentage of hTP washed through and the open circle (O) represents the percentage hTP bound/recovered. Fig. 6 is a graph illustrating the polyclonal anti-TP serum titers generated utilizing the immunization scheme described in Example 3 below. The circle represents the TP (1-19) 8 -LC coated test plate and the solid triangle represents the control plate. Fig. 7A is a line graph illustrating the parallel binding curves produced in the TP sandwich ELISA by serial dilutions of synthetic TP 1-52, human plasma extract and recombinant α, β and γ TP, as described in Example 4 below. In addition, the lack of binding produced by control E. coli (non-recombinant TP producing) extract is illustrated. The -•- represents synthetic hTP 1-52; —•— represents oTP, ■ represents βTP, A represents γTP and ♦ represents the E. coli control. Fig. 7B is a binding curve produced by serial dilutions of synthetic TP 1-52 standard (•) and resuspended human plasma extracts (■) . Fig. 8 is a graph illustrating the need for extraction prior to measuring TP in human plasma, as described in Example 5 below. Synthetic hTP 1-52 (•) ; extracted human plasma (▲) ; unextracted human plasma (I) . Fig. 9 is a graph illustrating the age-related reduction in plasma TP levels in female subjects, as measured by the method of the invention, as described in Example 6 below. Fig. 10 is a graph illustrating the age-related reduction in plasma TP levels in male subjects, as measured by the method of the invention, as described in Example 6 below. Detailed Description of the Invention The present invention provides a method for measuring the total amounts of a TP protein in human serum or plasma. Advantageously, this invention provides a method of treating a human sample in preparation for assay, which permits a selected conventional assay to detect circulating TP levels and variances therein at TP levels below 20 picograms. As used herein, the term "protein complex" includes agglomerations of thymopoietin with itself or with other related or unrelated protein forms, and peptides and proteins which complex with a specific complexing protein. The inventors have determined that TP, or selected TP forms, which are defined below, also form protein complexes which may include, in part or in whole, a binding protein. As used herein, human TP is defined as any of the three forms recently characterized by the recombinant TP protein sequences, TPα, TPβ and TPγ (Figs. 1-3) , as well as any other circulating proteins derived from these or other TP proteins. The inventors have identified significant clinical interest in obtaining a suitable method for determining circulating TP levels, as well. Particularly, TP levels in serum have been observed to increase and decrease in relation to a variety of stimuli by bioassay. For example, decreases in total TP levels are believed to correlate with age and stress. TP levels may also be influenced by malnutrition, immunologically mediated diseases, cancer, and infections. Elevations in TP levels are also observed in other conditions, such as myasthenia gravis. Briefly, the method of the present invention dissociates the TP from its association in any complexes that may have been formed by any naturally occurring binding proteins or other protein complexes in serum and plasma. This disassociation of complexes is performed without denaturing the TP which may naturally circulate in either a free and/or bound state, thus yielding the total TP in a free form for extraction and assay. Following dissociation, the loss of free TP due to non-specific absorption onto equipment and vessels or re-complexing is prevented and the free TP extracted from any assay interfering substances present in the plasma/serum sample. After such extraction, any solvents or reagents that might be incompatible with the chosen assay method must be removed in preparing the TP sample for assay. The free TP is then measured using a suitable assay. The method of the invention permits the measurement of total TP protein (e.g, any or all TP and TP forms circulating in a naturally unbound state plus all previously complexed TP) . A. Dissociation Step According to one aspect of this method, the conditions for the first step, i.e., dissociating the TP from any complex, involves acidifying the serum or plasma sample sufficiently to effect the dissociation of bound TP from a protein complex. Generally, the sample is acidified with a selected acid to provide a sample pH of less than about 3. However, it is anticipated that partial and, eventually, complete dissociation may be achieved at other sample pH levels less than neutral. A presently preferred acid for use in this acidification/extraction step is trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) . It is contemplated that, in addition to TFA, other acids, and pH adjusting reagents known to those of skill in the art may be employed in the acidification step and subsequent steps of this method. Other acids which may be substituted for TFA include, without limitation, mineral acids, such as hydrochloric, nitric and sulfuric acid. Suitable acidic conditions may be adjusted conventionally by one of skill in the art in response to the substitution of the acid described as the presently preferred example herein. Generally, the serum or plasma sample is diluted at a ratio of about 1:16 with about 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) containing about 0.01% polyoxethylene-sorbitan monolaurate (Tween* 20) and allowed to incubate at room temperature for about 1 hour. Dilution of sample is not necessary for dissociation of TP from its protein complex or binding protein, but is convenient for introducing the dissociated sample into the presently preferred extraction method. The plasma/serum to acid solution ratio employed for the TFA may also be employed with other selected acids of similar strength to obtain the desired pH. Alternatively, for acids of greater or lesser strength, or for reasons of compatibility with subsequent extraction and assay methods, this ratio may be adjusted appropriately by one of skill in the art. The incubation period of about one hour allows complete dissociation of TP from binding proteins or protein complexes to occur. It is also contemplated that, as an alternative to the one hour incubation step at room temperature, other incubation times and temperatures utilized by those of skill in the art may be employed to achieve dissociation of TP from circulating proteins or protein complexes under acidified conditions. Suitable time and temperature conditions to achieve dissociation of bound TP from any protein complexes may be adjusted by one of skill in the art as desired following, for example, the substitution of one or more dissociation reagents, requirements for subsequent extraction or assay methods, restraints of available equipment, supplies, or time or for sake of convenience. Tween® 20 reagent (polyoxyethylene- sorbitan monolaurate) is added to the acid solution to prevent the loss of free TP to non-specific binding of the TP to the dissociation and extraction vessels and other equipment. As an alternative to Tween* 20 reagent, other surfactants, detergents, and non-specific binding reducing reagents known to those of skill in the art may be employed to prevent such non-specific binding. Other agents which might be substituted for the Tween® 20 reagent include, without limitation, other detergents of the nonionic polyoxyethylene ether type, identified by the trademarks such as Triton® X, Lubrol® PX and NP40®, or detergents of the zwitterion type, such as 3-[ (3-cholamidopropyl)- dimethylammonio]-l- propanesulfonate (CHAPS) . When another non-specific binding reducing reagent is substituted for the Tween® 20 reagent, the conditions for preventing loss of free TP may be adjusted by one of skill in the art accordingly. For agents of greater or lesser non-specific binding blocking ability or for reasons of compatibility with subsequent extraction and assay methods, the concentration of 0.01% may be adjusted by one of skill in the art. For example, for an agent with a greater binding blocking ability than Tween® 20 reagent, the concentration of 0.01% may be decreased. As an alternative to acidification, the method of dissociation of free TP from any protein complex or binding protein may be accomplished by other dissociation reagents known to those of skill in the art. These reagents include, without limitation, sodium iodide, high salt concentrations such as sodium chloride or potassium chloride, cyanide, guanidine hydrochloride, urea, etc. Under the described conditions, the TP is dissociated from its binding protein or protein complex. B. Extraction Step Once the TP is so dissociated, it may be extracted from the sample in order to prevent reaggregation that may potentially interfere with subsequent assay of TP content. A presently preferred method for the extraction of free TP is through the use of a C-18 reverse phase cartridge. The C-18 packing is believed to provide a non-polar, hydrophobic matrix. When materials carried in an aqueous, polar solvent are introduced into the C-18 matrix, the material of lesser polarity than the solvent and/or of a less hydrophilic nature will be driven into and bind to the C-18 matrix. The cartridge is then washed thoroughly with the aqueous buffer in order to remove all unbound materials. Experimental results have established that free TP will bind to activated C-18 matrix while TP assay-interfering plasma substances will not. The materials bound to the cartridge matrix can then be eluted by the use of solvents of lower polarity and/or a less hydrophilic nature. Such alterations in the solvent nature are attained through the mixing of lower polarity, more hydrophobic organic solvents with the aqueous solvent. The presently preferred method utilizes C-18 SepPak® cartridges ("Waters, a Division of the Millipore Corp.). The SepPak® cartridge is activated by the sequential passage through the cartridge of deionized, distilled water, a 20:80 ratio of 0.1% TFA:acetonitrile for TP extraction, and 0.1% TFA alone in sufficient quantities to achieve full activation. For the presently preferred cartridge size of 2g C-18 matrix, the volume of each reagent used for activation is 40 ml. The dissociated sample in the 1:16 ratio with 0.1% TFA containing 0.01% Tween® 20 reagent is passed completely through the cartridge followed by a wash of the cartridge with 0.1% TFA containing 0.01% Tween® 20 reagent to remove all unbound material including any complexing protein now separated from the TP. The presently preferred wash volume is 20ml followed by the passage of air to ensure removal of all solvent from the cartridge. Desirably, the free TP, now bound to the C-18 matrix, is eluted with an appropriate ratio of TFA:acetonitrile containing 0.01% Tween® 20 reagent. The presently preferred elution volume is 10 ml followed by the passage of air to ensure removal of all solvent from the cartridge. The eluted, free TP, is then contained in the mixture of 0.1% TFA:acetonitrile containing 0.01% Tween® 20 reagent. The elution is preferably performed using a 20:80 ratio of 0.1% TFA:acetonitrile and the eluted, free TP is contained in the 20:80 mixture. Other conditions known to those of skill in the art may be employed with C-18, reverse phase cartridges to produce comparable results in separating the TP from substances that might potentially interfere with the assay. For example, conditions that may be altered include, without limitation, the volumes of reagents employed for cartridge activation, sample loading, washing and elution, the volume and dilution factor of the plasma/serum sample prior to extraction, the reagents utilized for activation, sample loading, washing and elution, the ratio of aqueous phase reagent and organic phase reagent required to activate the C-18 matrix and elute the TP, the order of solvent application to the cartridge, the reagent utilized to minimize non-specific binding of the TP to the extraction equipment, the source and size of the C-18 cartridges, the method for passing the materials through the cartridge. The extent to which any of these parameters may be altered may be readily determined by one of skill in the art. Other methods to extract free TP from potentially interfering plasma substances may include without limitation, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) , size-exclusion chromatography, ion exchange chromatography, dye-ligand chromatography, affinity chromatography, lectin-carbohydrate binding matrixes, solvent extractions, ultrafiltration, dialysis, etc. C. Sample Preparation The TFA and acetonitrile present in the sample following the extraction step described above must be separated from the TP prior to assay in order to prevent interference of these solvents with the assay reagents. The presently preferred method of removing acetonitrile is to evaporate the eluted solvent in a heated block (about 40*C) under a stream of nitrogen gas. The evaporation is preferably performed to at least about 20% of the original, eluted volume. The remaining aqueous TFA solution is removed by freezing with subsequent lyophilization. The volatile TFA is removed during the sublimation process of lyophilization. Certain assay systems may be sensitive to the residual TFA in the sample following lyophilization. For these types of assay systems, experimental results have demonstrated that TFA can be additionally removed from the sample prior to elution from the SepPak® cartridge by washing the SepPak® cartridge with distilled, deionized water containing 0.01% Tween® 20 reagent following the 0.1% TFA wash step to remove the unbound binding protein. The free TP is then eluted from the SepPak® cartridge with an appropriate ratio of distilled, deionized water:acetonitrile containing 0.01% Tween® 20 reagent. The acetonitrile is then evaporated from the sample and the remaining aqueous phase lyophilized as before. Other conditions known to those of skill may be employed to prepare the extracted TP for assay. For example, the use of different gases to remove the organic phase, the method of removing the organic solvent from the eluted sample, the method of removing any material that may interfere with subsequent steps from the aqueous phase and the method of rendering of the free TP suitable for assay following extraction if a different extraction method is used. D. Assa The free TP now substantially free of protein complexes, and interfering materials, e.g., solvents and reagents used for extraction, are placed into a medium suitable for use in the assay of choice. With the presently preferred methodology for extraction and solvent removal, the final sample is in a dry state. Thus, placing the sample into the appropriate assay medium involves resuspending the sample in the medium of choice, mixing, and centrifuging the sample to remove any denatured protein that may have formed as a result of the extraction process. The presently preferred assay medium is 0.05M phosphate buffered physiologic saline (PBS) containing 0.025M ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), 0.04% sodium azide, 1% bovine serum albumin, and 0.1% Tween® 20 reagent. Alternatively, other media known to those of skill in the art may be employed. Examples of other assay media include, without limitation, borate buffer, citrate buffer, HEPES buffer, succinate buffer, and defined cell culture and growth media. Other methods of medium transfer known to those of skill in the art may be employed depending on the final state of the sample following extraction and solvent removal. Examples of other medium transfer methods include, without limitation, dialysis, ultrafiltration and column chromatography exchange. The extracted plasma/serum sample now suspended in an appropriate assay medium can be assayed for the mass of total TP, a specific TP form (e.g. α, β, or γ) , or a circulating TP molecule derived from one of these proteins. The presently preferred method of quantitating TP is the use of an enzyme-linked immunoassay. However, other appropriate assay methods may be selected, e.g. fluorescence assays such as those employing europium, electrophoretic methods, receptor assays, bioassays, and mass spectroscopy. These assays may use a variety of conventional indicator molecules which are known to those of skill in the art, including radioisotopes, colorimetric enzyme systems and the like. For example, 125 I-TP, 3 H-TP, horseradish peroxidase (HRP) , enzyme- linked biotin-avidin, and fluorescein-antifluorescein systems, among others, may be employed. The particular assay format or indicator molecule used to measure the total TP is not necessarily critical to the performance of this method. Each assay method must be individually assessed for its appropriateness in quantitating TP in the plasma/serum extract. One particularly desirable and sensitive assay for the measurement of TP in the serum/plasma extract is enzyme-linked "sandwich" immunoassay (ELISA) . This assay method offers the advantages of specificity for TP, a high degree of sensitivity and precision, and the ability to selectively measure total TP or individual TP forms (e.g. α [SEQ ID NO:2], β [SEQ ID NO:4] or γ [SEQ ID NO:7]). The application of ELISA to quantitate total TP, or an individual TP form, defined above, obtained by the method of this invention, permits the ELISA to be characterized by a dilution curve of sample that is parallel to the standard curve. Although ELISA is the presently preferred assay method for TP, other methods known to those of skill in the art may be employed to quantitate TP in the extracted sample. The standard preparation for TP in such an assay may be recombinantly produced human TP a , β, or γ or recombinantly or synthetically produced peptides corresponding to α, β or γ TP, or fragments thereof. Suitable fragments include those encompassing one or more selected TP epitopes, e.g. amino acids 1-19 and amino acids 29-50 of α,β,γ [SEQ ID NO:2, 4, 6]. To measure total TP, it is preferable to utilize a form of TP that contains epitopes common to all TP forms and that are utilized by the assay for recognition, such as amino acids 1-52 of α,β,γ [SEQ ID NO: 2, 4, 6]. Although recombinant TP forms or specific synthetic regions of TP, e.g. TP 1-52 [SEQ ID NO:7], are the presently preferred standard for the assay, other TP molecules and sequences known to those of skill in the art may be employed as standards. These alternative standard preparations include, without limitation, recombinantly produced TP sequence fragments, synthetic fragments of o, β, and γ [SEQ ID NO:2, 4, 6], and any other circulating proteins derived from these or other TP proteins. As one example, synthetic TP amino acids (AA) 1-52 can be utilized as a common standard for TPα, TPβ, and TPγ [SEQ ID NO:2, 4, 6], which were all isolated from a human cDNA library (see Figs. 1-4). The assays employed to measure the TP may also employ anti-TP polyclonal, monoclonal or recombinant antibodies. Polyclonal antibodies to TP may be generated by conventional methods. For example, see the high titer anti-human/rat TP antibody of Example 3. Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) with increased target specificity may also be used in the assays of this invention. Additionally, synthetically designed monoclonal antibodies may be made by known genetic engineering techniques and employed in the methods described herein. For use in the assays any MAb generated by the techniques of Kohler and Milstein rNature. 256:495 (1975)] and modifications thereof and directed to an epitope on TP may be employed. However, the assays useful in this invention are not limited to the use of specific polyclonal antibodies or MAbs, since other antibodies may be generated by one of skill in the art to appropriate epitopes of TP. The choice of monoclonal antibodies or polyclonal antiserum for use in the ELISA or immunoassay of choice confers to the assay specificity for total TP, a certain subclass of TP, or individual TP forms. For example, antisera generated against the AA 1-19 portion of the TP molecule that is common to TPα, TPβ, and TPγ [SEQ ID NO:2,4,6] would be expected to recognize these molecules, as well as any TP α, β, γ derivatives that contained the AA 1-19 sequence. For instance, in an ELISA assay, using the AA 1-19 antiserum to coat a well would mean that subsequent exposure of the coated well to extracted plasma or serum would allow capture of any and all molecules present in the extract that contained the AA 1-19 sequence [SEQ ID NO:2,4,6]. The specificity of the assay with regard to the classification of the TP to be measured is determined by the detecting antibody or antisera specificity selected. For example, utilizing an enzyme coupled detecting antibody specific to the AA 29-50 portion of the TP molecule that is common to TPα, TPβ, and TPγ [SEQ ID N0:2,4,6] allows detection and quantitation of total TP in the sample, whereas the use of an enzyme coupled detecting antibody generated against a β-specific region of the B-TP molecule would allow detection and quantitation of only the β-TP molecules present. The choice of antisera/antibodies utilized in the ELISA or other immunoassay to quantitate TP can be determined by one skilled in the art to render the assay specific for the particular class of TP molecules to be quantitated. The methods and assay components described herein for the collection and measurement of TP in serum or plasma may be efficiently utilized for the routine measurement of TP in human clinical samples as a diagnostic test for pathologies and physiologic states in which TP levels may be altered either directly or indirectly as an indicator of dysfunction. For example, use of methods of the present invention enables diagnosis of conditions characterized by imbalances in TP levels. These conditions may include, for example, HIV infection, myasthenia gravis, immune system disorders, and other physiological disorders. In addition, these methods may be utilized for the effective measurement of TP in clinical studies of TP physiology, pharmacology and pathology or as a direct or indirect index of changes induced by other drugs or biologically active reagents. These methods may also be effectively utilized to follow the distribution and pharmokinetics of a selected TP and related analogues in human clinical studies and trials. In another embodiment, the present invention provides a diagnostic kit which may be used in a clinical laboratory to aid in the diagnosis or assessment of the hormonal and immunological status of patients. The methods and assay components described herein for the collection and measurement of the TP in serum or plasma may be efficiently utilized in the assembly of such a kit for the detection of total TP in a serum or plasma sample. Thus, the kit may contain an appropriate binding ligand capable of binding the TP, an appropriate standard and controls, an appropriate assay indicator molecule, appropriate amounts of acid and organic solvent for extraction of TP, C-18 reverse phase cartridges, and assay buffer. Such an appropriate binding ligand may be selected by one of skill in the art and may be, for example, an antibody, a receptor, or other conventional ligand. This kit may be employed for the performance of one or more methods of this invention. Components of the kit may vary according to the utilized dissociation reagents, extraction method and assay method as discussed. Advantageously, use of such a kit, and the method of the invention provides an accurate method for measuring total TP in serum or plasma, resulting in displacement curves parallel to the standard. These parallel curves permit the accurate measurement of total TP levels by comparison to the standard. The following examples are presented to illustrate the invention without specifically limiting the invention thereto. Example 1 - Synthesis of the Linear Peotides TP 1-52 The linear peptide of the hTP sequence of SEQ ID NO:7 (Fig. 4), HTP 1 . 52 , was synthesized on an Applied Biosystems Model 430A peptide synthesizer using the solid-phase method developed by Merrifield, cited above. Peptide assembly was carried out starting with the appropriate t-butyloxycaronyl(Boc)-protected amino acid phenylacetomidomethyl (PAM)-resin and the Boc-protected amino acids using a symmetrical anhydride activation procedure. All the amino acids were double coupled to ensure complete coupling. Side chain protecting groups were as follows: benzyl ether for the hydroxyl group of threonine and serine; benzyl ester for the carboxyl group of aspartic and glutamic acids; tosyl for the guanidine of arginine; benzyloxymethyl for the imidazole of histidine; 2-chlorobenzyloxycarbonyl for the e-amine of lysine; 2-bromobenzyloxycarbonyl for the phenolic hydroxyl of tyrosine. Asparagine, glutamine and arginine were coupled as their 1-hydroxylbenzotriazole esters. The following abbreviations are used in the examples below: Bzl is benzyl, Z is phenylmethoxycarbonzyl, TCA is trichloroacetic acid and BHA is benzhydrylamine resin. This synthetic TP AA 1-52 is illustrated in Fig. 4 and is used in the examples below. Example 2 - Demonstration of Recovery of Free TP 1-52 from C-18 Reverse Phase Cartridge To demonstrate the ability of SepPak® C-18, reverse phase cartridges to bind free TP and to release the free TP under the proper eluting conditions, 125 I-labeled TP AA 1-52 [SEQ ID N0:7], prepared by the method of Culler et al, Proc. Soc. EXP. Biol. Med.. 173:264-268 (1983) was added to a sample of human plasma, incubated for 15 min at 37°C in order to allow interaction with any endogenous TP complexing proteins. acidified and allowed to incubate at room temperature for 1 hour to achieve dissociation and loaded onto an activated SepPak® C-18, reverse phase cartridge. Prior to dissociation, the plasma sample was counted in a gamma counter to determine the amount of 125 I-labeled TP 1-52 present in the sample. To achieve dissociation, the sample had been acidified by dilution in 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid containing 0.01% Tween® 20 reagent to prevent non-specific absorption of free TP onto laboratory vessels and equipment. The SepPak® cartridge had been activated through the sequential passage of distilled, deionized water, 0.1% TFA:acetonitrile at ratios of 100:0, 80:20, 60:40, 40:60, 20:80 and 0:100, depending on the final eluting ratio, and, finally, 0.1% TFA alone. The dissociated sample was passed through the SepPak® cartridges and the material passing through the cartridges was collected. Each cartridge was then washed with 0.1% TFA containing 0.01% Tween® 20 reagent to completely remove all unbound material. Air was then passed through the cartridge to completely push all of the wash solution through the cartridge. The bound TP was eluted with the appropriate ratio of 0.1% TFA:acetonitrile, depending on the ratio used to initially condition the column. The eluting solvents contained 0.01% Tween. Air was then passed through the cartridge to completely push all of the eluting solution through the cartridge. The eluting material was collected and saved. The collected fractions were then counted in a gamma counter in order to determine the amount of radioactivity present in each and, thereby, the distribution of the free TP in the various materials passed through the column. As illustrated in Figure 5, over 95% of the 125 I-labeled TP 1-52 originally added to the plasma sample was present in the material eluted from the cartridge with the 20:80 ratio of 0.1% TFA:acetonitrile. These results indicate that the free TP was separated from the sample and bound to the cartridge during the initial sample passage, was held onto the cartridge during the subsequent washing step and most fully eluted with 20:80 0.1% TFA:acetonitrile. Example 3 - Preparation of high-titer polyclonal rabbit anti-TP antiseru The following rapid, multi-site, multi-route hyperimmunization protocol was used. A multiple antigen peptide (MAP) consisting of AA 1-19 of the synthetic TP [SEQ ID NO:7] attached to a poly-Lys core octomer (hTP (1 _ 19) octomeric MAP) was prepared essentially as described in J.P. Tarn, Vaccines Research and Development. Vol. 1, ed. W. Koff and H. Six, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, NY (1992), pp. 51-87. On days 1 and 5, 100 μg of the hTP (1 _ 19) octomeric MAP dissolved in phosphate buffer saline (PBS) was injected intravenously (i.v.) and intraperitoneally (i.p.), respectively; 200 μg of the polypeptide emulsified in Freund's Incomplete adjuvant (Sigma Chemical Company) was injected subcutaneously (s.c.) at six different sites. On day 11, 100 and 500 μg of the polypeptide was injected i.v. and i.p. respectively, and 100 μg incomplete Freund's adjuvant was given s.c. On day 18, 500 μg of polypeptide in PBS was given i.p. and 500 μg incomplete adjuvant was given s.c. On days 24 and 31, 500 μg of the polypeptide without adjuvant was administered i.p. and s.c. On day 38 and at 3- to 6-week intervals thereafter, the rabbits were boosted with 200 μg of nonadjuvanted polypeptide in PBS administered subcutaneously. Rabbits were bled on day 44, and 7 to 14 days after each boost. The antiserum was titrated by ELISA on HTP ( i-i 9) octameric MAP-coated Immulon 4® polystyrene microtiter plates (Dynatech Labs, Inc., Chantilly, VA) , and also on ovalbumin coated plates (Sigma Chemical Company) to determine the nonspecific binding as follows. Rabbit anti-HTP (1 _ 19) was diluted 1:5,000 in PBS/Tween-20 and 0.5% BSA (RIA grade). From this initial dilution, serial dilutions were made. One hundred (100) μL per well of each dilution of rabbit anti-HTP (1 _ 19) was plated in triplicate on an HTP (1 _ 19) octameric MAP-coated or ovalbumin-coated Immulon 4 microtiter plate. The plates were incubated for two hours at 37° with rocking. Plates were then washed five times with PBS/Tween® 20 reagent. Goat anti-rabbit IgG/HRPO [Antibodies Inc.] was added (100 μL/well) at the appropriate concentration in PBS/Tween® 20 reagent and 0.5% BSA. The plates were again incubated at 37°C for one hour. Following this second incubation, the plates were washed five times with PBS/Tween® 20 reagent. TM Blue® reagent (Transgenic Sciences, Inc., Milford MA) was added (100 μL/well) and incubated in the dark with gentle rocking for 30 minutes (room temperature) . The reaction was terminated by adding 2.5 N HC1 (50 μL) to each well and the plate was read immediately at 450 nM. The results of this assay are illustrated in Figure 6. This polyclonal antibody specific for HTP (1 _ 19) bound to HTP, 1 _ 19) octameric MAP-coated plates with half- maximal binding occurring at 1:20,000,000 in PBS/Tween® 20 reagent, but showed minimal binding to ovalbumin- coated plates. This antibody was subsequently used in the ELISA for HTP described in the example below. Example 4 - TP ELISA (Showing parallel curves with human plasma extract, synthetic TP 1-52 and recombinant α-. B- and vTPΪ To demonstrate the relationship between a synthetic TP AA 1-52 standard curve, recombinant TP, and serially diluted human plasma extracts, 8 ml human plasma were subjected to the dissociation and SepPak® cartridge extraction methods described in Example 2 above. The acetonitrile was removed from the extracted sample by evaporation in a heated block (40°C) under a stream of nitrogen gas. The remaining aqueous phase was frozen and lyophilized to remove the TFA present. The dried sample was then resuspended in 1 ml TP assay buffer consisting of 0.05M phosphate buffered physiologic saline containing 0.025M ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), 0.04% sodium azide, 0.01% Tween® 20 reagent and 0.4% B-mercaptoethanol to obtain an 8x concentrated sample. The resuspended sample was then serially diluted with assay buffer and placed in the ELISA assay. The samples were added at a volume of 200 μL/well to Immulon 4® polystyrene microtiter plates, that had been previously coated with rabbit anti-hTP 1-19 and post-coated with 1% BSA to prevent non-specific absorption. Synthetic hTP 1-52 was added to wells at concentration ranging from 100 to 1.56 pg/mL at a volume of 200 μL/well to serve as a standard curve. Serial dilutions of crude extracts of E. coli transfected to produce α-hTP, β-hTP and γ-hTP, and control E. coli extract, were also added to the wells. Buffer alone was added to wells to serve as 0-binding controls (non¬ specific binding) . All sample, standard and reagent dilutions were made using 0.01M phosphate buffered saline, pH 7.4 containing 0.5% bovine serum albumin and 0.05% Tween 20. The samples/standards were incubated for 3 hrs at 37°C. The wells were then washed 3 x with ELISA buffer and 200 μL biotinylated monoclonal antibody against hTP 29-50 [SEQ ID NO:2, 4, 6] added at an appropriate dilution in ELISA buffer containing 1% horse serum and incubated for 2 hours at 37°C. The wells were then washed 3x with ELISA buffer. Streptavidin, poly- horseradish peroxidase was added at a dilution of 1:5000 (200 μL volume) and the incubation continued at room temperature for 30 minutes. The wells were then washed 5x with ELISA buffer and Ultra-Blue® substrate added for an additional 30 minutes incubation at room temperature. The optical density of each well was determined as a direct index of the amount of TP present. Figures 7A and 7B illustrate the binding curves produced by serial dilutions of synthetic TP 1-52 standard, recombinant a-, β- and γ-TP standards (Fig. 7A) and resuspended human plasma extracts (Fig. 7B) . Decreasing concentrations of the extracted human plasma produced a binding curve that was parallel to the binding curve produced by serial dilutions of the synthetic hTP 1-52 standard. Similarly, serial dilutions of the recombinant TP forms produced binding curves that were parallel to the binding curves produced by the synthetic hTP 1-52 standard. No hTP-like immunoreactivity was detected in the control E. coli extract. These results indicate the presence of similarly reactive epitopes in all of the hTP containing material tested and, therefore, the appropriateness of this application of the present invention to quantitate hTP immunoreactivity in human plasma. Example 5 - Demonstration of Extraction Requirement to Separate TP from Interfering Plasma Substances Pooled plasma was prepared from blood collected from normal, healthy subjects. Eight mL of plasma were subjected to dissociation and extraction on a SepPak® cartridge as described in Example 2. The remainder of the sample pool was frozen until use. The dried extracted sample was resuspended in 1 mL TP assay buffer, serially diluted and subjected to the TP sandwich ELISA as described in Example 4. In addition, the previously frozen, unextracted plasma sample was placed in the assay both undiluted and serially diluted with buffer to a final dilution of 1:8. As illustrated in Fig. 8, addition of unextracted plasma to the assay plate failed to produce a positive reaction. Addition of extracted human plasma to the assay, however, produced a strong reading of TP- immunoreactivity in the assay that was both concentration dependent and parallel to the synthetic hTP 1-52 standard curve. Example 6 - Demonstration of Age-Related Reduction in Human Plasma TP Levels as Measured bv TP Sandwich ELISA Blood samples were withdrawn from 30 normal volunteers between 9 and 12 a.m. The blood was collected into EDTA-containing vacutainer tubes and placed on ice until processing. Following centrifugation at 1150 x g to pellet the cells, the resultant plasma was transferred to polypropylene tubes and stored at -80°C until assay. To determine the level of plasma TP, 1.5 mL aliquots of plasma were extracted as described in Example 2 and subjected to TP sandwich ELISA as described in Example 4. The results are illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10. TP levels were higher in female subjects than in male subjects (P < 0.02) and, in both sexes, were found to decline with age. For females, a significant linear relationship was observed between the age of subjects and plasma TP levels (r 2 «0.33, P < 0.05), with a mean decline of 0.10/ml/year. Similarly, for male subjects, a significant linear relationship was observed between the age of subjects and plasma TP levels (r 2 «=0.32, P < 0.03), with a mean decline of 0.11 pg/ml/year. This decline in TP levels may be related to, and serve as an index of, the decline in immune function observed with increasing age. Numerous modifications and variations of the present invention are included in the above-identified specification and are expected to be obvious to one of skill in the art. Such modifications and alterations to the processes of the present invention are believed to be encompassed in the scope of the claims appended hereto. SEQUENCE LISTING (1) GENERAL INFORMATION: (i) APPLICANT: Immunobiology Research, Institute Inc. (ii) TITLE OF INVENTION: Method of Measuring Thymopoietin Proteins in Plasma and Serum (ϋi) NUMBER OF SEQUENCES: 7 (iv) CORRESPONDENCE ADDRESS: (A) ADDRESSEE: Howson and Howson (B) STREET: 321 Norristown Road, Box 457 (C) CITY: Spring House (D) STATE: PA (E) COUNTRY: USA (F) ZIP: 19477 (v) COMPUTER READABLE FORM: (A) MEDIUM TYPE: Floppy disk (B) COMPUTER: IBM PC compatible (C) OPERATING SYSTEM: PC-DOS/MS-DOS (D) SOFTWARE: Patentin Release #1.0, Version#1.25 (Vi) CURRENT APPLICATION DATA: (A) APPLICATION NUMBER: (B) FILING DATE: (C) CLASSIFICATION: (Vii) PRIOR APPLICATION DATA: (A) APPLICATION NUMBER: US 08/309,419 (B) FILING DATE: 20-SEP-1994 (Vϋi) ATTORNEY/AGENT INFORMATION: (A) NAME: Bak, Mary E. (B) REGISTRATION NUMBER: 31,215 (C) REFERENCE/DOCKET NUMBER: IRI45BPCT (ix) TELECOMMUNICATION INFORMATION: (A) TELEPHONE: (215) 540-9206 (B) TELEFAX: (215) 540-5818 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:l: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 2490 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: double (D) TOPOLOGY: unknown (ϋ) MOLECULE TYPE: cDNA (ix) FEATURE: (A) NAME/KEY: CDS (B) LOCATION: 205..2286 (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:l: GTTCGTAGTT CGGCTCTGGG GTCTTTTGTG TCCGGGTCTG GCTTGGCTTT 50 GTGTCCGCGA GTTTTTGTTC CGCTCCGCAG CGCTCTTCCC GGGCAGGAGC 100 CGTGAGGCTC GGAGGCGGCA GCGCGGTCCC CGGCCAGGAG CAAGCGCGCC 150 GGCGTGAGCG GCGGCGGCAA AGGCTGTGGG GAGGGGGCTT CGCAGATCCC 200 CGAG ATG CCG GAG TTC CTG GAA GAC CCC TCG GTC CTG ACA AAA 243 Met Pro Glu Phe Leu Glu Asp Pro Ser Val Leu Thr Lys 1 5 10 GAC AAG TTG AAG AGT GAG TTG GTC GCC AAC AAT GTG ACG CTG 285 Asp Lys Leu Lys Ser Glu Leu Val Ala Asn Asn Val Thr Leu 15 20 25 CCG GCC GGG GAG CAG CGC AAA GAC GTG TAC GTC CAG CTC TAC 327 Pro Ala Gly Glu Gin Arg Lys Asp Val Tyr Val Gin Leu Tyr 30 35 40 CTG CAG CAC CTC ACG GCT CGC AAC CGG CCG CCG CTC CCC GCC 369 Leu Gin His Leu Thr Ala Arg Asn Arg Pro Pro Leu Pro Ala 45 50 55 GGC ACC AAC AGC AAG GGG CCC CCG GAC TTC TCC AGT GAC GAA 411 Gly Thr Asn Ser Lys Gly Pro Pro Asp Phe Ser Ser Asp Glu 60 65 GAG CGC GAG CCC ACC CCG GTC CTC GGC TCT GGG GCC GCC GCC 453 Glu Arg Glu Pro Thr Pro Val Leu Gly Ser Gly Ala Ala Ala 70 75 80 GCG GGC CGG AGC CGA GCA GCC GTC GGC AGG AAA GCC ACA AAA 495 Ala Gly Arg Ser Arg Ala Ala Val Gly Arg Lys Ala Thr Lys 85 90 95 AAA ACT GAT AAA CCC AGA CAA GAA GAT AAA GAT GAT CTA GAT 537 Lys Thr Asp Lys Pro Arg Gin Glu Asp Lys Asp Asp Leu Asp 100 105 110 GTA ACA GAG CTC ACT AAT GAA GAT CTT TTG GAT CAG CTT GTG 579 Val Thr Glu Leu Thr Asn Glu Asp Leu Leu Asp Gin Leu Val 115 120 125 AAA TAC GGA GTG AAT CCT GGT CCT ATT GTG GGA ACA ACC AGG 621 Lys Tyr Gly Val Asn Pro Gly Pro lie Val Gly Thr Thr Arg 130 135 AAG CTA TAT GAG AAA AAG CTT TTG AAA CTG AGG GAA CAA GGA 663 Lys Leu Tyr Glu Lys Lys Leu Leu Lys Leu Arg Glu Gin Gly 140 145 150 ACA GAA TCA AGA TCT TCT ACT CCT CTG CCA ACA ATT TCT TCT 705 Thr Glu Ser Arg Ser Ser Thr Pro Leu Pro Thr lie Ser Ser 155 160 165 TCA GCA GAA AAT ACA AGG CAG AAT GGA AGT AAT GAT TCT GAC 747 Ser Ala Glu Asn Thr Arg Gin Asn Gly Ser Asn Asp Ser Asp 170 175 180 AGA TAC AGT GAC AAT GAA GAA GGA AAG AAG AAA GAA CAC AAG 789 Arg Tyr Ser Asp Asn Glu Glu Gly Lys Lys Lys Glu His Lys 185 190 195 AAA GTG AAG TCC ACT AGG GAT ATT GTT CCT TTT TCT GAA CTT 831 Lys Val Lys Ser Thr Arg Asp lie Val Pro Phe Ser Glu Leu 200 205 GGA ACT ACT CCC TCT GGT GGT GGA TTT TTT CAG GGT ATT TCT 873 Gly Thr Thr Pro Ser Gly Gly Gly Phe Phe Gin Gly lie Ser 210 215 220 TTT CCT GAA ATC TCC ACC CGT CCT CCT TTG GGC AGT ACC GAA 915 Phe Pro Glu lie Ser Thr Arg Pro Pro Leu Gly Ser Thr Glu 225 230 235 CTA CAG GCA GCT AAG AAA GTA CAT ACT TCT AAG GGA GAC CTA 957 Leu Gin Ala Ala Lys Lys Val His Thr Ser Lys Gly Asp Leu 240 245 250 CCT AGG GAG CCT CTT GTT GCC ACA AAC TTG CCT GGC AGG GGA 999 Pro Arg Glu Pro Leu Val Ala Thr Asn Leu Pro Gly Arg Gly 255 260 265 CAG TTG CAG AAG TTA GCC TCT GAA AGG AAT TTG TTT ATT TCA 1041 Gin Leu Gin Lys Leu Ala Ser Glu Arg Asn Leu Phe lie Ser 270 275 TGC AAG TCT AGC CAT GAT AGG TGT TTA GAG AAA AGT TCT TCG 1083 Cys Lys Ser Ser His Asp Arg Cys Leu Glu Lys Ser Ser Ser 280 285 290 TCA TCT TCT CAG CCT GAA CAC AGT GCC ATG TTG GTC TCT ACT 1125 Ser Ser Ser Gin Pro Glu His Ser Ala Met Leu Val Ser Thr 295 300 305 GCA GCT TCT CCT TCA CTG ATT AAA GAA ACC ACC ACT GGT TAC 1167 Ala Ala Ser Pro Ser Leu lie Lys Glu Thr Thr Thr Gly Tyr 310 315 320 TAT AAA GAC ATA GTA GAA AAT ATT TGC GGT AGA GAG AAA AGT 1209 Tyr Lys Asp lie Val Glu Asn lie Cys Gly Arg Glu Lys Ser 325 330 335 GGA ATT CAA CCA TTA TGT CCT GAG AGG TCC CAT ATT TCA GAT 1251 Gly lie Gin Pro Leu Cys Pro Glu Arg Ser His lie Ser Asp 340 345 CAA TCG CCT CTC TCC AGT AAA AGG AAA GCA CTA GAA GAG TCT 1293 Gin Ser Pro Leu Ser Ser Lys Arg Lys Ala Leu Glu Glu Ser 350 355 360 GAG AGC TCA CAA CTA ATT TCT CCG CCA CTT GCC CAG GCA ATC 1335 Glu Ser Ser Gin Leu lie Ser Pro Pro Leu Ala Gin Ala lie 365 370 375 AGA GAT TAT GTC AAT TCT CTG TTG GTC CAG GGT GGG GTA GGT 1377 Arg Asp Tyr Val Asn Ser Leu Leu Val Gin Gly Gly Val Gly 380 385 390 AGT TTG CCT GGA ACT TCT AAC TCT ATG CCC CCA CTG GAT GTA 1419 Ser Leu Pro Gly Thr Ser Asn Ser Met Pro Pro Leu Asp Val 395 400 405 GAA AAC ATA CAG AAG AGA ATT GAT CAG TCT AAG TTT CAA GAA 1461 Glu Asn lie Gin Lys Arg lie Asp Gin Ser Lys Phe Gin Glu 410 415 ACT GAA TTC CTG TCT CCT CCA AGA AAA GTC CCT AGA CTG AGT 1503 Thr Glu Phe Leu Ser Pro Pro Arg Lys Val Pro Arg Leu Ser 420 425 430 GAG AAG TCA GTG GAG GAA AGG GAT TCA GGT TCC TTT GTG GCA 1545 Glu Lys Ser Val Glu Glu Arg Asp Ser Gly Ser Phe Val Ala 435 440 445 TTT CAG AAC ATA CCT GGA TCC GAA CTG ATG TCT TCT TTT GCC 1587 Phe Gin Asn lie Pro Gly Ser Glu Leu Met Ser Ser Phe Ala 450 455 460 AAA ACT GTT GTC TCT CAT TCA CTC ACT ACC TTA GGT CTA GAA 1629 Lys Thr Val Val Ser His Ser Leu Thr Thr Leu Gly Leu Glu 465 470 475 GTG GCT AAG CAA TCA CAG CAT GAT AAA ATA GAT GCC TCA GAA 1671 Val Ala Lys Gin Ser Gin His Asp Lys lie Asp Ala Ser Glu 480 485 CTA TCT TTT CCC TTC CAT GAA TCT ATT TTA AAA GTA ATT GAA 1713 Leu Ser Phe Pro Phe His Glu Ser lie Leu Lys Val lie Glu 490 495 500 GAA GAA TGG CAG CAA GTT GAC AGG CAG CTG CCT TCA CTG GCA 1755 Glu Glu Trp Gin Gin Val Asp Arg Gin Leu Pro Ser Leu Ala 505 510 515 TGC AAA TAT CCA GTT TCT TCC AGG GAG GCA ACA CAG ATA TTA 1797 Cys Lys Tyr Pro Val Ser Ser Arg Glu Ala Thr Gin lie Leu 520 525 530 TCA GTT CCA AAA GTA GAT GAT GAA ATC CTA GGG TTT ATT TCT 1839 Ser Val Pro Lys Val Asp Asp Glu lie Leu Gly Phe lie Ser 535 540 545 GAA GCC ACT CCA CTA GGA GGT ATT CAA GCA GCC TCC ACT GAG 1881 Glu Ala Thr Pro Leu Gly Gly lie Gin Ala Ala Ser Thr Glu 550 555 TCT TGC AAT CAG CAG TTG GAC TTA GCA CTC TGT AGA GCA TAT 1923 Ser Cys Asn Gin Gin Leu Asp Leu Ala Leu Cys Arg Ala Tyr 560 565 570 GAA GCT GCA GCA TCA GCA TTG CAG ATT GCA ACT CAC ACT GCC 1965 Glu Ala Ala Ala Ser Ala Leu Gin lie Ala Thr His Thr Ala 575 580 585 TTT GTA GCT AAG GCT ATG CAG GCA GAC ATT AGT CAA GCT GCA 2007 Phe Val Ala Lys Ala Met Gin Ala Asp lie Ser Gin Ala Ala 590 595 600 CAG ATT CTT AGC TCA GAT CCT AGT CGT ACC CAC CAA GCG CTT 2049 Gin lie Leu Ser Ser Asp Pro Ser Arg Thr His Gin Ala Leu 605 610 615 GGG ATT CTG AGC AAA ACA TAT GAT GCA GCC TCA TAT ATT TGT 2091 Gly lie Leu Ser Lys Thr Tyr Asp Ala Ala Ser Tyr lie Cys 620 625 GAA GCT GCA TTT GAT GAA GTG AAG ATG GCT GCC CAT ACC ATG 2133 Glu Ala Ala Phe Asp Glu Val Lys Met Ala Ala His Thr Met 630 635 640 GGA AAT GCC ACT GTA GGT CGT CGA TAC CTC TGG CTG AAG GAT 2175 Gly Asn Ala Thr Val Gly Arg Arg Tyr Leu Trp Leu Lys Asp 645 650 655 TGC AAA ATT AAT TTA GCT TCT AAG AAT AAG CTG GCT TCC ACT 2217 Cys Lys lie Asn Leu Ala Ser Lys Asn Lys Leu Ala Ser Thr 660 665 670 CCC TTT AAA GGT GGA ACA TTA TTT GGA GGA GAA GTA TGC AAA 2259 Pro Phe Lys Gly Gly Thr Leu Phe Gly Gly Glu Val Cys Lys 675 680 685 GTA ATT AAA AAG CGT GGA AAT AAA CAC TAGTAAAATT AAGGACAAAA 2306 Val lie Lys Lys Arg Gly Asn Lys His 690 AGACATCTAT CTTATCTTTC AGGTACTTTA TGCCAACATT TTCTTTTCTG 2356 TTAAGGTTGT TTTAGTTTCC AGATAGGGCT AATTACAAAA TGTTAAGCTT 2406 CTACCCATCA AATTACAGTA TAAAAGTAAT TGCCTGTGTA GAACTACTTG 2456 TCTTTTCTAA AGATTTGCGT AGATAGGAAG CCTG 2490 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:2: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 694 amino acids (B) TYPE: amino acid (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: protein (Xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:2: Met Pro Glu Phe Leu Glu Asp Pro Ser Val Leu Thr Lys Asp Lys 1 5 10 15 Leu Lys Ser Glu Leu Val Ala Asn Asn Val Thr Leu Pro Ala Gly 20 25 30 Glu Gin Arg Lys Asp Val Tyr Val Gin Leu Tyr Leu Gin His Leu 35 40 45 Thr Ala Arg Asn Arg Pro Pro Leu Pro Ala Gly Thr Asn Ser Lys 50 55 60 Gly Pro Pro Asp Phe Ser Ser Asp Glu Glu Arg Glu Pro Thr Pro 65 70 75 Val Leu Gly Ser Gly Ala Ala Ala Ala Gly Arg Ser Arg Ala Ala 80 85 90 Val Gly Arg Lys Ala Thr Lys Lys Thr Asp Lys Pro Arg Gin Glu 95 100 105 Asp Lys Asp Asp Leu Asp Val Thr Glu Leu Thr Asn Glu Asp Leu 110 115 120 Leu Asp Gin Leu Val Lys Tyr Gly Val Asn Pro Gly Pro He Val 125 130 135 Gly Thr Thr Arg Lys Leu Tyr Glu Lys Lys Leu Leu Lys Leu Arg 140 145 150 Glu Gin Gly Thr Glu Ser Arg Ser Ser Thr Pro Leu Pro Thr He 155 160 165 Ser Ser Ser Ala Glu Asn Thr Arg Gin Asn Gly Ser Asn Asp Ser 170 175 180 Asp Arg Tyr Ser Asp Asn Glu Glu Gly Lys Lys Lys Glu His Lys 185 190 195 Lys Val Lys Ser Thr Arg Asp He Val Pro Phe Ser Glu Leu Gly 200 205 210 Thr Thr Pro Ser Gly Gly Gly Phe Phe Gin Gly He Ser Phe Pro 215 220 225 Glu He Ser Thr Arg Pro Pro Leu Gly Ser Thr Glu Leu Gin Ala 230 235 240 Ala Lys Lys Val His Thr Ser Lys Gly Asp Leu Pro Arg Glu Pro 245 250 255 Leu Val Ala Thr Asn Leu Pro Gly Arg Gly Gin Leu Gin Lys Leu 260 265 270 Ala Ser Glu Arg Asn Leu Phe He Ser Cys Lys Ser Ser His Asp 275 280 285 Arg Cys Leu Glu Lys Ser Ser Ser Ser Ser Ser Gin Pro Glu His 290 295 300 Ser Ala Met Leu Val Ser Thr Ala Ala Ser Pro Ser Leu He Lys 305 310 315 Glu Thr Thr Thr Gly Tyr Tyr Lys Asp He Val Glu Asn He Cys 320 325 330 Gly Arg Glu Lys Ser Gly He Gin Pro Leu Cys Pro Glu Arg Ser 335 340 345 His He Ser Asp Gin Ser Pro Leu Ser Ser Lys Arg Lys Ala Leu 350 355 360 Glu Glu Ser Glu Ser Ser Gin Leu He Ser Pro Pro Leu Ala Gin 365 370 375 Ala He Arg Asp Tyr Val Asn Ser Leu Leu Val Gin Gly Gly Val 380 385 390 Gly Ser Leu Pro Gly Thr Ser Asn Ser Met Pro Pro Leu Asp Val 395 400 405 Glu Asn He Gin Lys Arg He Asp Gin Ser Lys Phe Gin Glu Thr 410 415 420 Glu Phe Leu Ser Pro Pro Arg Lys Val Pro Arg Leu Ser Glu Lys 425 430 435 Ser Val Glu Glu Arg Asp Ser Gly Ser Phe Val Ala Phe Gin Asn 440 445 450 He Pro Gly Ser Glu Leu Met Ser Ser Phe Ala Lys Thr Val Val 455 460 465 Ser His Ser Leu Thr Thr Leu Gly Leu Glu Val Ala Lys Gin Ser 470 475 480 Gin His Asp Lys He Asp Ala Ser Glu Leu Ser Phe Pro Phe His 485 490 495 Glu Ser He Leu Lys Val He Glu Glu Glu Trp Gin Gin Val Asp 500 505 510 Arg Gin Leu Pro Ser Leu Ala Cys Lys Tyr Pro Val Ser Ser Arg 515 520 525 Glu Ala Thr Gin He Leu Ser Val Pro Lys Val Asp Asp Glu He 530 535 540 Leu Gly Phe He Ser Glu Ala Thr Pro Leu Gly Gly He Gin Ala 545 550 555 Ala Ser Thr Glu Ser Cys Asn Gin Gin Leu Asp Leu Ala Leu Cys 560 565 570 Arg Ala Tyr Glu Ala Ala Ala Ser Ala Leu Gin He Ala Thr His 575 580 585 Thr Ala Phe Val Ala Lys Ala Met Gin Ala Asp He Ser Gin Ala 590 595 600 Ala Gin He Leu Ser Ser Asp Pro Ser Arg Thr His Gin Ala Leu 605 610 615 Gly He Leu Ser Lys Thr Tyr Asp Ala Ala Ser Tyr He Cys Glu 620 625 630 Ala Ala Phe Asp Glu Val Lys Met Ala Ala His Thr Met Gly Asn 635 640 645 Ala Thr Val Gly Arg Arg Tyr Leu Trp Leu Lys Asp Cys Lys He 650 655 660 Asn Leu Ala Ser Lys Asn Lys Leu Ala Ser Thr Pro Phe Lys Gly 665 670 675 Gly Thr Leu Phe Gly Gly Glu Val Cys Lys Val He Lys Lys Arg 680 685 690 Gly Asn Lys His (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:3: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 1743 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: double (D) TOPOLOGY: unknown (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: CDNA (ix) FEATURE: (A) NAME/KEY: CDS (B) LOCATION: 238..1599 (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:3: GGTTGGTGCG AGCTTCCAGC TTGGCCGCAG TTGGTTCGTA GTTCGGCTCT 50 GGGGTCTTTT GTGTCCGGGT CTGGCTTGGC TTTGTGTCCG CGAGTTTTTG 100 TTCCGCTCCG CAGCGCTCTT CCCGGGCAGG AGCCGTGAGG CTCGGAGGCG 150 GCAGCGCGGT CCCCGGCCAG GAGCAAGCGC GCCGGCGTGA GCGGCGGCGG 200 CAAAGGCTGT GGGGAGGGGG CTTCGCAGAT CCCCGAG ATG CCG GAG TTC 249 Met Pro Glu Phe 1 CTG GAA GAC CCC TCG GTC CTG ACA AAA GAC AAG TTG AAG AGT 291 Leu Glu Asp Pro Ser Val Leu Thr Lys Asp Lys Leu Lys Ser 5 10 15 GAG TTG GTC GCC AAC AAT GTG ACG CTG CCG GCC GGG GAG CAG 333 Glu Leu Val Ala Asn Asn Val Thr Leu Pro Ala Gly Glu Gin 20 25 30 CGC AAA GAC GTG TAC GTC CAG CTC TAC CTG CAG CAC CTC ACG 375 Arg Lys Asp Val Tyr Val Gin Leu Tyr Leu Gin His Leu Thr 35 40 45 GCT CGC AAC CGG CCG CCG CTC CCC GCC GGC ACC AAC AGC AAG 417 Ala Arg Asn Arg Pro Pro Leu Pro Ala Gly Thr Asn Ser Lys 50 55 60 GGG CCC CCG GAC TTC TCC AGT GAC GAA GAG CGC GAG CCC ACC 459 Gly Pro Pro Asp Phe Ser Ser Asp Glu Glu Arg Glu Pro Thr 65 70 CCG GTC CTC GGC TCT GGG GCC GCC GCC GCG GGC CGG AGC CGA 501 Pro Val Leu Gly Ser Gly Ala Ala Ala Ala Gly Arg Ser Arg 75 80 85 GCA GCC GTC GGC AGG AAA GCC ACA AAA AAA ACT GAT AAA CCC 543 Ala Ala Val Gly Arg Lys Ala Thr Lys Lys Thr Asp Lys Pro 90 95 100 AGA CAA GAA GAT AAA GAT GAT CTA GAT GTA ACA GAG CTC ACT 585 Arg Gin Glu Asp Lys Asp Asp Leu Asp Val Thr Glu Leu Thr 105 110 115 AAT GAA GAT CTT TTG GAT CAG CTT GTG AAA TAC GGA GTG AAT 627 Asn Glu Asp Leu Leu Asp Gin Leu Val Lys Tyr Gly Val Asn 120 125 130 CCT GGT CCT ATT GTG GGA ACA ACC AGG AAG CTA TAT GAG AAA 669 Pro Gly Pro He Val Gly Thr Thr Arg Lys Leu Tyr Glu Lys 135 140 AAG CTT TTG AAA CTG AGG GAA CAA GGA ACA GAA TCA AGA TCT 711 Lys Leu Leu Lys Leu Arg Glu Gin Gly Thr Glu Ser Arg Ser 145 150 155 TCT ACT CCT CTG CCA ACA ATT TCT TCT TCA GCA GAA AAT ACA 753 Ser Thr Pro Leu Pro Thr He Ser Ser Ser Ala Glu Asn Thr 160 165 170 AGG CAG AAT GGA AGT AAT GAT TCT GAC AGA TAC AGT GAC AAT 795 Arg Gin Asn Gly Ser Asn Asp Ser Asp Arg Tyr Ser Asp Asn 175 180 185 GAA GAA GAC TCT AAA ATA GAG CTC AAG CTT GAG AAG AGA GAA 837 Glu Glu Asp Ser Lys He Glu Leu Lys Leu Glu Lys Arg Glu 190 195 200 CCA CTA AAG GGC AGA GCA AAG ACT CCA GTA ACA CTC AAG CAA 879 Pro Leu Lys Gly Arg Ala Lys Thr Pro Val Thr Leu Lys Gin 205 210 AGA AGA GTT GAG CAC AAT CAG AGC TAT TCT CAA GCT GGA ATA 921 Arg Arg Val Glu His Asn Gin Ser Tyr Ser Gin Ala Gly He 215 220 225 ACT GAG ACT GAA TGG ACA AGT GGA TCT TCA AAA GGC GGA CCT 963 Thr Glu Thr Glu Trp Thr Ser Gly Ser Ser Lys Gly Gly Pro 230 235 240 CTG CAG GCA TTA ACT AGG GAA TCT ACA AGA GGG TCA AGA AGA 1005 Leu Gin Ala Leu Thr Arg Glu Ser Thr Arg Gly Ser Arg Arg 245 250 255 ACT CCA AGG AAA AGG GTG GAA ACT TCA GAA CAT TTT CGT ATA 1047 Thr Pro Arg Lys Arg Val Glu Thr Ser Glu His Phe Arg He 260 265 270 GAT GGT CCA GTA ATT TCA GAG AGT ACT CCC ATA GCT GAA ACT 1089 Asp Gly Pro Val He Ser Glu Ser Thr Pro He Ala Glu Thr 275 280 ATA ATG GCT TCA AGC AAC GAA TCC TTA GTT GTC AAT AGG GTG 1131 He Met Ala Ser Ser Asn Glu Ser Leu Val Val Asn Arg Val 285 290 295 ACT GGA AAT TTC AAG CAT GCA TCT CCT ATT CTG CCA ATC ACT 1173 Thr Gly Asn Phe Lys His Ala Ser Pro He Leu Pro He Thr 300 305 310 GAA TTC TCA GAC ATA CCC AGA AGA GCA CCA AAG AAA CCA TTG 1215 Glu Phe Ser Asp He Pro Arg Arg Ala Pro Lys Lys Pro Leu 315 320 325 ACA AGA GCT GAA GTG GGA GAA AAA ACA GAG GAA AGA AGA GTA 1257 Thr Arg Ala Glu Val Gly Glu Lys Thr Glu Glu Arg Arg Val 330 335 340 GAA AGG GAT ATT CTT AAG GAA ATG TTC CCC TAT GAA GCA TCT 1299 Glu Arg Asp He Leu Lys Glu Met Phe Pro Tyr Glu Ala Ser 345 350 ACA CCA ACA GGA ATT AGT GCT AGT TGC CGC AGA CCA ATC AAA 1341 Thr Pro Thr Gly He Ser Ala Ser Cys Arg Arg Pro He Lys 355 360 365 GGG GCT GCA GGC CGG CCA TTA GAA CTC AGT GAT TTC AGG ATG 1383 Gly Ala Ala Gly Arg Pro Leu Glu Leu Ser Asp Phe Arg Met 370 375 380 GAG GAG TCT TTT TCA TCT AAA TAT GTT CCT AAG TAT GTT CCC 1425 Glu Glu Ser Phe Ser Ser Lys Tyr Val Pro Lys Tyr Val Pro 385 390 395 TTG GCA GAT GTC AAG TCA GAA AAG ACA AAA AAG GGA CGC TCC 1467 Leu Ala Asp Val Lys Ser Glu Lys Thr Lys Lys Gly Arg Ser 400 405 410 ATT CCC GTA TGG ATA AAA ATT TTG CTG TTT GTT GTT GTG GCA 1509 He Pro Val Trp He Lys He Leu Leu Phe Val Val Val Ala 415 420 GTT TTT TTG TTT TTG GTC TAT CAA GCT ATG GAA ACC AAC CAA 1551 Val Phe Leu Phe Leu Val Tyr Gin Ala Met Glu Thr Asn Gin 425 430 435 GTA AAT CCC TTC TCT AAT TTT CTT CAT GTT GAC CCT AGA AAA 1593 Val Asn Pro Phe Ser Asn Phe Leu His Val Asp Pro Arg Lys 440 445 450 TCC AAC TGAATGGTAT CTCTTTGGCA CGTTCAACTT GGTCTCCTAT 1639 Ser Asn TTTCAATAAC TGTTGAAAAA CATTTGTGTA CACTTGTTGA CTCCAAGAAC 1689 TAAAAATAAT GTGATTTCGC CTCAATAAAT GTAGTATTTC ATTGAAAAGC 1739 AAAC 1743 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:4: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 454 amino acids (B) TYPE: amino acid (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: protein (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:4: Met Pro Glu Phe Leu Glu Asp Pro Ser Val Leu Thr Lys Asp Lys 1 5 10 15 Leu Lys Ser Glu Leu Val Ala Asn Asn Val Thr Leu Pro Ala Gly 20 25 30 Glu Gin Arg Lys Asp Val Tyr Val Gin Leu Tyr Leu Gin His Leu 35 40 45 Thr Ala Arg Asn Arg Pro Pro Leu Pro Ala Gly Thr Asn Ser Lys 50 55 60 Gly Pro Pro Asp Phe Ser Ser Asp Glu Glu Arg Glu Pro Thr Pro 65 70 75 Val Leu Gly Ser Gly Ala Ala Ala Ala Gly Arg Ser Arg Ala Ala 80 85 90 Val Gly Arg Lys Ala Thr Lys Lys Thr Asp Lys Pro Arg Gin Glu 95 100 105 Asp Lys Asp Asp Leu Asp Val Thr Glu Leu Thr Asn Glu Asp Leu 110 115 120 Leu Asp Gin Leu Val Lys Tyr Gly Val Asn Pro Gly Pro He Val 125 130 135 Gly Thr Thr Arg Lys Leu Tyr Glu Lys Lys Leu Leu Lys Leu Arg 140 145 150 Glu Gin Gly Thr Glu Ser Arg Ser Ser Thr Pro Leu Pro Thr He 155 160 165 Ser Ser Ser Ala Glu Asn Thr Arg Gin Asn Gly Ser Asn Asp Ser 170 175 180 Asp Arg Tyr Ser Asp Asn Glu Glu Asp Ser Lys He Glu Leu Lys 185 190 195 Leu Glu Lys Arg Glu Pro Leu Lys Gly Arg Ala Lys Thr Pro Val 200 205 210 Thr Leu Lys Gin Arg Arg Val Glu His Asn Gin Ser Tyr Ser Gin 215 220 225 Ala Gly He Thr Glu Thr Glu Trp Thr Ser Gly Ser Ser Lys Gly 230 235 240 Gly Pro Leu Gin Ala Leu Thr Arg Glu Ser Thr Arg Gly Ser Arg 245 250 255 Arg Thr Pro Arg Lys Arg Val Glu Thr Ser Glu His Phe Arg He 260 265 270 Asp Gly Pro Val He Ser Glu Ser Thr Pro He Ala Glu Thr He 275 280 285 Met Ala Ser Ser Asn Glu Ser Leu Val Val Asn Arg Val Thr Gly 290 295 300 Asn Phe Lys His Ala Ser Pro He Leu Pro He Thr Glu Phe Ser 305 310 315 Asp He Pro Arg Arg Ala Pro Lys Lys Pro Leu Thr Arg Ala Glu 320 325 330 Val Gly Glu Lys Thr GlU Glu Arg Arg Val Glu Arg Asp He Leu 335 340 345 Lys Glu Met Phe Pro Tyr Glu Ala Ser Thr Pro Thr Gly He Ser 350 355 360 Ala Ser Cys Arg Arg Pro He Lys Gly Ala Ala Gly Arg Pro Leu 365 370 375 Glu Leu Ser Asp Phe Arg Met Glu Glu Ser Phe Ser Ser Lys Tyr 380 385 390 Val Pro Lys Tyr Val Pro Leu Ala Asp Val Lys Ser Glu Lys Thr 395 400 405 Lys Lys Gly Arg Ser He Pro Val Trp He Lys He Leu Leu Phe 410 415 420 Val Val Val Ala Val Phe Leu Phe Leu Val Tyr Gin Ala Met Glu 425 430 435 Thr Asn Gin Val Asn Pro Phe Ser Asn Phe Leu His Val Asp Pro 440 445 450 Arg Lys Ser Asn (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:5: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 2392 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: double (D) TOPOLOGY: unknown (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: CDNA (ix) FEATURE: (A) NAME/KEY: CDS (B) LOCATION: 241..1275 (Xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:5: CCCTGCTACC AAGGCCCAGC TATGGCCCCA GGGTTGAAAA GTTATGAGGG 50 TCAGGGGTCT TTTGTGTCCG GGTCTGGCTT GGCTTTGTGT CCGCGAGTTT 100 TTGTTCCGCT CCGCAGCGCT CTTCCCGGGC AGGAGCCGTG AGGCTCGGAG 150 GCGGCAGCGC GGTCCCCGGC CAGGAGCAAG CGCGCCGGCG TGAGCGGCGG 200 CGGCAAAGGC TGTGGGGAGG GGGCTTCGCA GATCCCCGAG ATGCCGGAGT 250 TCCTGGAAGA CCCCTCGGTC CTGACAAAAG ACAAGTTGAA GAGTGAGTTG 300 GTCGCCAACA ATGTGACGCT GCCGGCCGGG GAGCAGCGCA AAGACGTGTA 350 CGTCCAGCTC TACCTGCAGC ACCTCACGGC TCGCAACCGG CCGCCGCTCC 400 CCGCCGGCAC CAACAGCAAG GGGCCCCCGG ACTTCTCCAG TGACGAAGAG 450 CGCGAGCCCA CCCCGGTCCT CGGCTCTGGG GCCGCCGCCG CGGGCCGGAG 500 CCGAGCAGCC GTCGGCAGGA AAGCCACAAA AAAAACTGAT AAACCCAGAC 550 AAGAAGATAA AGATGATCTA GATGTAACAG AGCTCACTAA TGAAGATCTT 600 TTGGATCAGC TTGTGAAATA CGGAGTGAAT CCTGGTCCTA TTGTGGGAAC 650 AACCAGGAAG CTATATGAGA AAAAGCTTTT GAAACTGAGG GAACAAGGAA 700 CAGAATCAAG ATCTTCTACT CCTCTGCCAA CAATTTCTTC TTCAGCAGAA 750 AATACAAGGC AGAATGGAAG TAATGATTCT GACAGATACA GTGACAATGA 800 AGAAGACTCT AAAATAGAGC TYAAGCTTGA GAAGAGAGAA CCACTAAAGG 850 GCAGAGCAAA GACTCCAGTA ACACTCAAGC AAAGAAGAGT TGAGCACAAT 900 CAGGTGGGAG AAAAAACAGA GGAAAGAAGA GTAGAAAGGG ATATTCTTAA 950 GGAAATGTTC CCCTATGAAG CATCTACACC AACAGGAATT AGTGCTAGTT 1000 GCCGCAGACC AATCAAAGGG GCTGCAGGCC GGCCATTAGA ACTCAGTGAT 1050 TTCAGGATGG AGGAGTCTTT TTCATCTAAA TATGTTCCTA AGTATGTTCC 1100 CTTGGCAGAT GTCAAGTCAG AAAAGACAAA AAAGGGACGC TCCATTCCCG 1150 TATGGATAAA AATTTTGCTG TTTGTTGTTG TGGCAGTTTT TTTGTTTTTG 1200 GTCTATCAAG CTATGGAAAC CAACCAAGTA AATCCCTTCT CTAATTTTCT 1250 TCATGTTGAC CCTAGAAAAT CCAACTGAAT GGTATCTCTT TGGCACGTTC 1300 AACTTGGTCT CCTATTTTCA ATAACTGTTG AAAAACATTT GTGTACACTT 1350 GTTGACTCCA AGAACTAAAA ATAATGTGAT TTCGCCTCAA TAAATGTAGT 1400 ATTTCATTGA AAAGCAAACA AAATATATAT AAATGGACTT CATTAAAATG 1450 TTTTTGAACT TTGGACTAGT AGGAGATCAC TTTGTGCCAT ATGAATAATC 1500 TTTTTTAGCT CTGGAACTTT TTGTAGGCTT TATTTTTTTA ATGTGGGCAT 1550 CTTATTTCAT TTTTGAAAAA ATGTATATGT TTTTTGTGTA TTTGGGAAAC 1600 GAAGGGTGAA ACATGGTAGT ATAATGTGAA GCTACACATT TAAATACTTA 1650 GAATTCTTAC AGAAAAGATT TTAAGAATTA TTCTCTGCTG AATAAAAACT 1700 GCAAATATGT GAAACATAAT GAAATTCAGT AAGAGGAAAA GTAACTTGGT 1750 TGTACTTTTT GTAACTGCAA CAAAGTTTGA TGGTGTTTAT GAGGAAAAGT 1800 ACAGCAATAA TCTCTTCTGT AACCTTTATT AATAGTAATG TTGTTGTAGC 1850 CCTATCATAC TCACTTTTTA AGACACAGTA TCATGAAAGT CCTATTTCAG 1900 TAAGACCCAT TTACATACAG TAGATTTTTA GCAGAGATCT TTTAGTGTAA 1950 CATACATATT TTAGAGAATT GTTGGCTAGC TGTACATGTT TTGAAAAGCT 2000 GTTTAGCTAG CTATAAGGCT ATAATTGGAA ATTTGTATTT TTTATTTACA 2050 GCAAAACATT TATTCAGTCA TCCAGTTTGC TACCAAAATA TGTTTTAGAT 2100 AAGTGTGTGT ATGTTTGTTT AGAAGTTAGA AATTGTAAAC ACTGGTCTTA 2150 TGTTTCATTT GGATTCATTA TTGCATTGTC TTGTTACCAG AAACAAATTT 2200 TGCCGAGCTT TTTTTGCCCT ATATTTCCCA GCATAATTTG ATTAGAAAGT 2250 ACAAAAAGGG CCGGGCGCGG TGGCTTACGC CTGTAATCCC AGCACTTTGG 2300 GAGGCCAGGG CGGGTGGATC ACGAGGTCAG GAGATCGGGA CCATCCTGGC 2350 CAACATGGTG AAACCCCGTC TCTACTAAAA AAAAAAAAAA AA 2392 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:6: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 345 amino acids (B) TYPE: amino acid (D) TOPOLOGY: unknown (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: peptide (Xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:6: Met Pro Glu Phe Leu Glu Asp Pro Ser Val Leu Thr Lys Asp Lys 1 5 10 15 Leu Lys Ser Glu Leu Val Ala Asn Asn Val Thr Leu Pro Ala Gly 20 25 30 Glu Gin Arg Lys Asp Val Tyr Val Gin Leu Tyr Leu Gin His Leu 35 40 45 Thr Ala Arg Asn Arg Pro Pro Leu Pro Ala Gly Thr Asn Ser Lys 50 55 60 Gly Pro Pro Asp Phe Ser Ser Asp Glu Glu Arg Glu Pro Thr Pro 65 70 75 Val Leu Gly Ser Gly Ala Ala Ala Ala Gly Arg Ser Arg Ala Ala 80 85 90 Val Gly Arg Lys Ala Thr Lys Lys Thr Asp Lys Pro Arg Gin Glu 95 100 105 Asp Lys Asp Asp Leu Asp Val Thr Glu Leu Thr Asn Glu Asp Leu 110 115 120 Leu Asp Gin Leu Val Lys Tyr Gly Val Asn Pro Gly Pro He Val 125 130 135 Gly Thr Thr Arg Lys Leu Tyr Glu Lys Lys Leu Leu Lys Leu Arg 140 145 150 Glu Gin Gly Thr Glu Ser Arg Ser Ser Thr Pro Leu Pro Thr He 155 160 165 Ser Ser Ser Ala Glu Asn Thr Arg Gin Asn Gly Ser Asn Asp Ser 170 175 180 Asp Arg Tyr Ser Asp Asn Glu Glu Asp Ser Lys He Glu Leu Lys 185 190 195 Leu Glu Lys Arg Glu Pro Leu Lys Gly Arg Ala Lys Thr Pro Val 200 205 210 Thr Leu Lys Gin Arg Arg Val Glu His Asn Gin Val Gly Glu Lys 215 220 225 Thr Glu Glu Arg Arg Val Glu Arg Asp He Leu Lys Glu Met Phe 230 235 240 Pro Tyr Glu Ala Ser Thr Pro Thr Gly He Ser Ala Ser Cys Arg 245 250 255 Arg Pro He Lys Gly Ala Ala Gly Arg Pro Leu Glu Leu Ser Asp 260 265 270 Phe Arg Met Glu Glu Ser Phe Ser Ser Lys Tyr Val Pro Lys Tyr 275 280 285 Val Pro Leu Ala Asp Val Lys Ser Glu Lys Thr Lys Lys Gly Arg 290 295 300 Ser He Pro Val Trp He Lys He Leu Leu Phe Val Val Val Ala 305 310 315 Val Phe Leu Phe Leu Val Tyr Gin Ala Met Glu Thr Asn Gin Val 320 325 330 Asn Pro Phe Ser Asn Phe Leu His Val Asp Pro Arg Lys Ser Asn 335 340 345 (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:7: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 52 amino acids (B) TYPE: amino acid (D) TOPOLOGY: unknown (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: protein (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:7: Pro Glu Phe Leu Glu Asp Pro Ser Val Leu Thr Lys Asp Lys Leu 1 5 10 15 Lys Ser Glu Leu Val Ala Asn Asn Val Thr Leu Pro Ala Gly Glu 20 25 30 Gin Arg Lys Asp Val Tyr Val Gin Leu Tyr Leu Gin His Leu Thr 35 40 45 Ala Arg Asn Arg Pro Pro Leu 50

Claims: WHAT IS CLAIMED IS: 1. A method for measuring total thymopoietin levels in a human serum or plasma sample comprising dissociating thymopoietin (TP) from its association with any complexing protein with which it is bound, and releasing said bound TP into said sample in a unbound state; extracting said unbound TP from association with any interfering substances; preparing a sample of said TP for a selected assay format by removing contaminating solvents and reagents incompatible with said assay format; and measuring said TP in said assay. 2. The method according to claim l wherein said dissociating step comprises acidifying said sample to a pH of about 3. 3. The method according to claim 1 further comprising adding reagents to prevent non-specific binding in said dissociating step and in said remaining steps. 4. The method according to claim 1 wherein in said dissociating step, said sample is incubated for about 1 hour at room temperature. 5. The method according to claim 1 wherein said extraction step comprises separating said free TP from said complex on the basis of their respective polarities and hydrophobic interactions. 6. The method according to claim 1 wherein said extraction step comprises subjecting said sample to reverse phase column chromatography. 7. The method according to claim 1 wherein said preparing step comprises evaporation and lyophilization of said sample. 8. The method according to claim 1 wherein said measuring step is performed by immunoassay. 9. The method according to claim 8 wherein said immunoassay is a displacement radioimmunoassay capable of generating a total sample TP displacement curve which is parallel to a standard TP displacement curve. 10. The method according to claim 8 wherein said immunoassay is a sandwich ELISA immunoassay capable of generating a total sample TP binding curve which is parallel to a standard TP binding curve. 11. A kit useful in measuring levels of thymopoietin in a human serum or plasma sample comprising a plate coated with a protein, a standard, a control, and a suitable diluent. 12. The kit according to claim 11 wherein said protein is thymopoietin and said standard is synthetic thymopoietin 1-52 SEQ ID NO: 7.

Inventors: CULLER MICHAEL D, GOLDSTEIN GIDEON, CULLER, MICHAEL, D., GOLDSTEIN, GIDEON
Applicants: IMMUNOBIOLOGY RES INST INC, IMMUNOBIOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE, INC.
Application year: 1995
Main classification: C07K14
IPC codes: C07K14, G01N33