Therapeutic agent for canine intractable dermatitis

Abstract: The present invention relates to a therapeutic agent, composed of canine interferon-γ, for canine intractable dermatitis.

Description: Technical Field The present invention relates to the use of a therapeutic agent, composed of canine interferon-γ, for the manufacture of a medicament for the treatment of canine intractable dermatitis. Background Art Interferon-γ (hereinafter interferon is referred to as "IFN") is mainly produced by T-cells and is known to have three main functions, i. e., antiviral activity, anti-cell proliferation activity, and immunoregulation (reference 1). With the recent development in gene manipulation techniques, not only the human IFN genes but also animal IFN genes, such as bovine, equine, and feline, have been isolated, and concerning canines, IFN-α, β, and γ have been reported (references 2 and 3). Compared with human or mouse IFN-γ, however, only a little knowledge has been obtained from in vitro and in vivo studies on canine IFN-γ (reference 12), and there is no report using canine IFN-γ as a therapeutic agent for a certain canine disease. In humans, IFN-γ has already been put into practical use as a therapeutic agent for malignant tumors, and concerning skin diseases, Hanifin et al. (reference 4) and Rheinhold et al. (references 5 and 6) and WO 91/07984 reported its effectiveness on treating atopic dermatitis and steroid dependent asthma. There is doubt (reference 7), however, regarding the use of human IFN-γ for human atopic dermatitis because of the following reasons: for effectively treating human atopic dermatitis by human IFN-γ, daily administration for a consecutive 6 weeks or more is necessary; IFN-γ has adverse effects such as fever and headache and gives the patients a rather large amount of stress while its effects are rather small; and IFN-γ formulations are expensive. Concerning human dermatitis, diagnosis criteria have been established (reference 8) and a genetic background is regarded as being an important criterion. In addition, human atopic dermatitis is known to be a type I allergic reaction, in which production of an excess amount of IgE in response to foods, animal scales, insect poisons, and the like deeply participates (reference 9). However, there have not been any systematic studies done on canine atopic dermatitis (reference 13). Therefore, the evaluation criteria are unclear and the relationship between the production of excess canine IgE and atopic dermatitis is not clear. In general, canine skin diseases include eczema, urticaria, allergic dermatitis, traumatic dermatitis, mange, otitis externa, pruritic dermatitis, and the like. Conventionally, the following agents are used for the above diseases: antihistamines (diphenhydramines), antiphlogistics (dibucaine hydrochloride, etc.), insecticides and bateriocides (malathion, benzalkonium chloride, etc.), and steroids (dexamethasone, etc.). Among therapeutic agents of the prior art used for treating canine skin diseases, however, there are disadvantages in the use of non-steroidal agents as their effects are insufficient and their therapeutic effects are very low, and although steroidal agents have extremely strong pharmacological effects, they occasionally show adverse effects, such as enhancement of infection at diseased regions and increases in vascular-wall fragility, and by long-term administration, they may cause obesity or systematic adverse effects as a result of an effect on other organs. In general, canine skin diseases cannot be cured as well as those of humans because of inferior housing conditions; thus frequently, dogs are treated with repeated doses of the above therapeutic agents of the prior art. Treatment periods are thus extended, and occasionally, diseases are not completely cured even if treatment is continued for more than half a year, and in some cases, treatment is extended for several years, resulting in great stress for the dog owner. Therefore, there is a demand for a therapeutic agent with an acute and sustained effect on canine intractable dermatitis that cannot completely be cured by long-term treatment using therapeutic agents of the prior art. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an effective therapeutic agent for canine intractable dermatitis. Disclosure of the Invention Inventors of the present invention accomplished the present invention by the finding that canine skin diseases, which could hardly be cured by the prior art, were remarkably improved by administering a canine IFN-γ formulation. In other words, the object of the present invention is to provide a therapeutic agent, containing canine IFN-γ as the active ingredient, for the manufacture of a medicament for the treatment of canine intractable dermatitis. Best Mode For Carrying Out the Invention For example, canine IFN-γ used in the present invention is a polypeptide having an amino acid sequence shown by SEQ ID No. from 1 to 6. However, even if the amino acid sequence has the replacement, insertion, or deletion of one or more amino acid residues, the polypeptide is included in the present invention as long as it shows biological activity of the original IFN-γ as is shown in reference 1; this is because in such a case the polypeptide is regarded as having similar effects to the present invention. Although canine IFN-γ may be produced by an isolation and purification process from natural biomaterials, by chemical synthesis, or by gene-recombinant techniques, the use of canine IFN-γ produced by gene-recombinant techniques is preferable from an economical point of view. The method for producing canine IFN-γ by gene-recombinant techniques is not particularly limited, for example, canine IFN-γ can be produced by using host cells or host animals into which a gene, coding for the whole or part of the amino acid sequence of canine IFN-γ shown in SEQ ID No. from 1 to 6, has been transduced by an already established conventional method. For example, after proliferating Escherichia coli , into which cDNA of the whole or part of the base sequence of canine IFN-γ shown in SEQ ID No. from 1 to 6 has been transduced, canine IFN-γ can be obtained from the bacterial cells or supernatants of the bacterial cultures by isolation and purification. Furthermore, after infecting cultured insect cell line such as Spondoptera frugiperda cells and Bombyx mori cells or silkworms with Baculovirus, into which cDNA of the whole or part of the base sequence of canine IFN-γ shown in SEQ ID No. from 1 to 6 has been transduced, canine IFN-γ can be obtained from the cultured cells, supernatants of cell cultures, or hemolymph of silk worms by isolation and purification. In the above cases, the base sequence of canine IFN-γ is not limited to that of SEQ ID No. from 1 to 6, as long as it is translated into the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID No. from 1 to 6. In addition, canine IFN-γ having similar effects to the present invention can be produced by using cDNA having a base sequence coding for a polypeptide even if the amino acid sequence has the replacement, insertion, or deletion of one or more amino acid residues. The method for isolating and purifying canine IFN-γ produced by gene-recombinant techniques is not particularly limited, and conventional protein purification methods can be employed. For example, with the antiviral activity of canine IFN-γ as an index, canine IFN-γ can be purified and isolated by combining the following methods for desalting or concentration: chromatography employing silica gel carriers, ion exchange carriers, gel filtration carriers, chelate carriers, pigment ligand carriers, or the like; ultrafiltration; gel filtration; dialysis; salting out; and the like. In the above procedure, the antiviral activity of canine IFN-γ can be measured according to the CPE method of reference 10 using vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) as the virus and canine MDCK (ATCC CCL-34) as the sensitive cells. In the present invention, canine intractable dermatitis is defined as a group of skin diseases which are not remarkably improved by treatment with therapeutic agents of the prior art for canine skin diseases for at least more than half a year, or which recur after the symptoms had once been reduced; examples of the therapeutic agents of the prior art for treating canine skin disease are as follows: exodermatic bacteriocidic disinfectants, antihistamines, steroid hormones, analgesics, antipruritics, astringents, anti-inflammatory agents, and agents for parasitic skin diseases. Frequently, canine intractable dermatitis is not remarkably improved by steroid hormones, or even if the symptoms are reduced, they recur soon after discontinuing the administration. Canine intractable dermatitis includes allergic dermatitis, pemphigus, hypertrophic dermatitis, mycodermatitis, atopic dermatitis, intractable drug eruption, and the like. In addition to canine IFN-γ, a therapeutic agent for canine intractable dermatitis used in the present invention may optionally contain other components. Components added to the agent are mainly determined depending on the route of administration. When the agent is used as a solid, for example, fillers such as lactose, binders such as carboxymethyl cellulose and gelatin, coloring agents, and coating agents may be employed; such an agent chat is in a solid form may be suitable for oral administration. In addition, the agent can be a formulation which is applied externally to the lesions, such as a cream, a lotion, a latex, and the like, by adding carriers or excipients, such as white petrolatum, cellulose derivatives, surfactants, polyethylene glycol, silicone, or olive oil. When the agent is administered as a liquid, it may contain generally used physiologically acceptable solvents, emulsifiers, and stabilizers. Examples of solvents are water, PBS, and isotonic physiological saline; examples of emulsifiers are polyoxyethylene surfactants, fatty acid surfactants, and silicone; and examples of stabilizers are proteins, such as canine serum albumin and gelatin, polyols, such as polyethylene glycol and ethylene glycol, and saccharides, such as sorbitol and trehalose. Although the administration route of the therapeutic agent of the present invention is not particularly limited, stronger therapeutic effects can be expected by injection. Any injection method including intravenous administration, intramuscular administration, subcutaneous administration, intraperitoneal administration, and intrapleural administration can be employed, however subcutaneous administration is preferable because its procedure is simple and a lower amount of stress is caused to the patient dogs. Although treatment dose is appropriately determined according to the size of the individual, the route of administration, the symptoms, and the like, a dosage sufficient for reducing the symptoms of canine intractable dermatitis is generally administered. For example, administration of 0.002 to 1.0 MU/kg of canine IFN-γ per day reveals sufficient effects, and preferably, 0.005 to 0.5 MU/kg from the effectiveness and economical point of view. In the above, kg is the unit of the patient dog weight and U is the unit number determined by the antiviral activity of IFN-γ measured according to the CPE method of reference 10 using vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) as the virus and canine MDCK (ATCC CCL-34) as the sensitive cells as follows: the amount of IFN-γ that can decrease the cytopathic effect of VSV against canine MDCK (ATCC CCL-34) by 50% is defined as one unit. In addition, the frequency of administration is also determined depending on the size of the individual, the route of administration, the symptoms, and the like, however, it is generally thought that by administration of once or twice a week, the symptoms are remarkably reduced at the second week after the beginning of the treatment. Although it is possible to alter the frequency or number of administration while observing the treatment course, administration of twice to ten times every other day or seven days is preferable from the point of view of amount of stress to the dog owners and the therapeutic effect. In this method for treatment, a therapeutic agent of the prior art for treating canine skin diseases can be adjuvantly used in combination. In such a case, the therapeutic agents used in the present invention are administered with other agents selected from antihistamines (diphenhydramines), antiphlogistics (dibucaine hydrochloride, etc.), insecticides and bateriocides (malathion, benzalkonium chloride, etc.), steroids (dexamethasone, etc.), and the like. As is above-mentioned in detail, the present invention provides the use of a therapeutic agent for the manufacture of a medicament for the treatment of canine intractable dermatitis having canine IFN-γ as the active ingredient. By administering the therapeutic agent used in the present invention, canine skin diseases which are hardly cured by therapeutic agents of the prior art for canine dermatitis can be treated effectively without adverse effects. EXAMPLES The present invention is illustrated in more detail with reference to the following examples, though the present invention is not limited to these examples. EXAMPLE 1 Measurement of antiviral activity of canine IFN-γ Basically, antiviral activity of canine IFN-γ was measured according to the method described in reference 10 using canine MDCK (ATCC CCL-34) cells and VSV. In other words, a diluted solution of a sample containing canine IFN-γ was added to the canine MDCK (ATCC CCL-34) cells, which had been cultured on a 96-well microplate at 37°C until they reached a confluent state, and then, the cells were further incubated at 37°C for 20 to 24 hours to induce antiviral activity. The cells were mixed with VSV and cultured for 24 hours at 37°C, the living canine MDCK cells that adhered to the microplate were stained by crystal violet solution containing 20% formalin. The amount of crystal violet on the microplate was obtained by measuring the absorbance at 570 nm so as to evaluate the amount of canine IFN-γ at which 50% of cells were alive. The thus-obtained amount of canine IFN-γ was defined as one unit (1 U) of antiviral activity. EXAMPLE 2 Canine IFN-γ production by Escherichia coli having DNA coding for canine IFN-γ In accordance with a conventional method, cDNA of canine IFN-γ shown by SEQ ID No. 5 was inserted in pET8c, which is a manifestation vector of Escherichia coli and then, Escherichia coli HB101 were transformed by a conventional method. The thus-obtained transformants were inoculated into an LB medium containing 100 µg/ml of ampicillin. The transformants were cultured at 37°C until the OD 600 reached approximately 0.7, were mixed with isopropyl-β-D-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) to make a final concentration of 0.5 mM, and then, were cultured for further 1.5 hours. The thus-obtained 11 L of culture medium was centrifuged at 200 s -1 (12,000 rpm) for 5 min to separate the supernatant, the residue was suspended in 60 ml of 10 mM Tris-Cl (pH 7.5), and bacterial cells were completely disrupted by sonication on ice. The resultant was centrifuged at 333 s -1 (20,000 rpm) for 30 min. and the supernatant was recovered to obtain 54 ml of a soluble protein fraction. This fraction had not less than 10 6 U/ml of antiviral activity. EXAMPLE 3 Canine IFN-γ production by Bombyx mori cells or silk worms both having DNA coding for canine IFN-γ In accordance with a conventional method, cDNA of canine IFN-γ shown by SEQ ID No. 1 was transduced into a vector pBM030 (reference 11) to obtain a recombinant plasmid pBMγ. Recombinant Baculoviruses were prepared in accordance with the method of reference 11. In other words, both DNA of Bombyx mori nuclear polyhedrosis virus BmNPV T3 strain (reference 11) and DNA of the recombinant plasmid pBMγ were used to co-transfected into Bombyx mori cells, Bm-N cells by a calcium phosphate method, and then, recombinant Baculoviruses rBNVγ having DNA coding for canine IFN-γ was cloned by limiting dilution method with the following fact as index: microscopically, when viral infection was observed and when polyhedrine particles were not being formed. Each 0.5 ml of the thus-obtained recombinant virus solution was added to approximately 3 x 10 6 Bm-N cells cultured in a TC-100 medium containing 10% FBS in a 25 cm 2 -tissue culture flask. After 30 min., the medium was replaced with 5 ml of fresh TC-100 medium containing 10% FBS and cultured at 27°C for 3 days. The centrifuged supernatant of the medium was collected and revealed to have an antiviral activity of 10 4 U/ml. Silk worms in the second day of their fifth instar were injected with 50 µl/worm of the liquid of the recombinant Baculovirus rBNVγ having DNA coding for canine IFN-γ, fed a commercially available artificial feed (Kanebo Silk Elegance Co.) at 25°C for 4 days, then the abdomen of ten of these silk worms was cut open to collect their hemolymph into an Eppendorf tube cooled on ice, the resulting hemolymph was centrifuged, and the thus-obtained supernatant was sterilized by filtration using a 0.22 µm filter, resulting in a measured antiviral activity of 10 7 U/ml. EXAMPLE 4 Preparation of canine IFN-γ A 20 mM phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) was used to obtain a two-fold dilution of 50 ml of the soluble protein fraction obtained in EXAMPLE 2, and then, it was added to a column packed with 20 ml of silica gel which was equilibrated with the same buffer; the column was washed with a sufficient amount of 20 mM phosphate buffer (pH 7.0). The absorbed components were eluted with 20 mM phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) containing 3 M ammonium chloride and 5% polyethylene glycol to collect a 45 ml eluate. The thus-obtained eluate contained approximately 30 mg of protein and the yield of protein was approximately 30%. After dialyzing 40 ml of the eluate twice with a 10-times volume of 20 mM phosphate buffer (pH 7.0), the resultant was added to a column packed with 10 ml of SP Sepharose FF and the column was washed with 100 ml of 20 mM phosphate buffer. (pH 7.0). The absorbed components were eluted by a NaCl concentration gradient to collect eluted fractions containing canine IFN-γ. The thus-obtained eluate fraction contained approximately 15 mg of protein and the purity of the canine IFN-γ was approximately 30%. The eluate was further applied to re-chromatography according to a similar method, and the thus-obtained eluate was desalted by a conventional method using a gel filtration column packed with 80 ml of Sephadex G-25 to obtain 10 ml of a purified canine IFN-γ fraction. From analysis using SDS-PAGE, it was revealed that this fraction contained 5 mg of protein and the purity of the canine IFN-y was not less than 80%. About 2 mg of canine IFN-γ having more than 85% purity was obtained from 100 ml of silk worm hemolymph obtained in Example 3, in which recombinant Baculoviruses were inactivated. EXAMPLE 5 Production of a canine IFN-γ formulation A physiological saline for injection, low-molecular gelatin for injection (Nitta Gelatin Inc.), and sorbitol were added to the purified canine IFN-γ solution obtained in EXAMPLE 4 to make a final gelatin concentration of 0.5% and a final sorbitol concentration of 30%. The resultant was then treated with POSIDYNE (Poll Filtron Co.) to remove pyrogens, and 1 ml of filtrate was each added to glass vials sterilized by dry heat at 250°C for 2 hours. A canine IFN-γ formulation, with each vial containing 0.1 MU to 2.5 MU of canine IFN-γ, was then obtained by lyophilizing aseptically. This canine IFN-γ formulation was stable in the dark at room temperature and highly soluble in water or physiological saline. EXAMPLE 6 Treatment of canine intractable dermatitis by canine IFN-γ Dogs that had been treated for 0.5 to 7 years without showing a remarkable reduction in symptoms of skin diseases by therapeutic agents of the prior art or with repeated recurrences were employed for this study. The subjects of this study included those that had the complication of mycosis supposedly due to adverse effects from steroid hormones. The canine IFN-γ formulation prepared in EXAMPLE 5 was dissolved in 1 ml of physiological saline for injection and administered subcutaneously to the subjects; the therapeutic effects were evaluated by observing the clinical symptoms of skin diseases and adverse effects. Table 1 shows the dose per administration and administration schedule. The severity of canine skin diseases was evaluated as follows: 6 parameters, i. e., erythema, papule, eczema, lichen, excoriation, and scale, were scored as 0 (none), 1 (weak), 2 (moderate), and 3 (severe); the total scores of the parameters were defined as the total clinical severity. The therapeutic effects were evaluated from the severity of the clinical symptoms. The therapeutic effects are shown in Table 1 concerned with the canine IFN-γ formulation prepared from Escherichia coli and in Table 3 concerned with that from silk worms. As is apparent from Tables 1 and 3, in each of the dogs employed for this study, the clinical severity of the skin diseases was remarkably reduced, indicating that canine IFN-γ is extremely effective in the treatment of skin diseases. In addition, the symptoms of these five dogs shown in Table 1 had not been notably reduced by steroid hormone therapy, which is thought to be the most effective among therapeutic agents of the prior art, or had recurred soon after discontinuing the administration of steroid hormones, however, the symptoms were rapidly cured by a once or twice administration of canine IFN-γ of the present invention. Furthermore, there were no clinically meaningful adverse effects observed in any the five dogs. EXAMPLE 7 Treatment of canine intractable dermatitis by canine IFN-γ in combination with other therapeutic agents Similarly to EXAMPLE 6, dogs that had been treated for at least half a year without showing remarkable reduction in symptoms of skin diseases by therapeutic agents of the prior art or with repeated recurrences were employed for this study. Tests and therapeutic-effect evaluation were carried out according to similar methods described in EXAMPLE 6, except that the therapeutic agents shown in Table 2 were used in combination with the canine IFN-γ formulation prepared in EXAMPLE 5. From the results shown in Table 2, it is understood that canine IFN-γ rapidly reduces the clinical symptoms due to canine intractable dermatitis and is effective, even when it is used in combination with therapeutic agents of the prior art. In addition, there is a trend that canine IFN-γ exhibits sufficient therapeutic effects at smaller dose as compared with EXAMPLE 6 when it is used in combination with therapeutic agents of the prior art. Furthermore, adverse effects because of the combined therapy are not particularly observed. References Cited 1. Ijzermans et al.: Immunobiology, 179, 456-473 (1989) 2. Adolf et al.: J. Interferon-Research, 7, 173-183 (1987) 3. Devos et al.: J. Interferon-Research, 12, 95-102 (1992) 4. Hanifin et al.: J. Am. Acad. Dermatol., 28, 189-197 (1993) 5. Rheinhold et al.: Lancet, 335, 1282 (1990) 6. Rheinhold et al.: J. Am. Acad. Dermatol., 29, 58-63 (1993) 7. Nishioka et al.: J. Dermatol., 22, 181-185 (1995) 8. Williams : Br. J. Dermatol., 131, 397-405 (1994) 9. Sampson et al.: J. Allergy Clin. Immunol., 81, 635-645 (1988) 10. Nippon Seikagaku Gakkai (ed): Zoku-Seikagakujikkenkoza, 5, 250-256, Tokyo Kagakudojin (1986) 11. Horiuchi et al.: Agic. Biol. Chem., 51, 1573-1580, (1987) 12. Zucker et al.: J. Interferon-Research, 13, 91-97 (1993) 13. Frank et al.: Clinics in Dermatology, 12, 565-571 (1994) SEQUENCE LISTING INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 1: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 498 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: double (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: cDNA to mRNA (vi) ORIGINAL SOURCE: (A) ORGANISM: Dog (ix) FEATURE: (A) NAME/KEY: sig_peptide (B) LOCATION:1..72 Method for determining the feature: By similarity with a known sequence or to an established consensus sequence. (ix) FEATURE: (A) NAME/KEY: mat_peptide (B) LOCATION : 73..498 Method for determining the feature: By similarity with a known sequence or to an established consensus sequence. (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 1: INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 2: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 498 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: double (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: cDNA to mRNA (vi) ORIGINAL SOURCE: (A) ORGANISM: Dog (ix) FEATURE: (A) NAME/KEY: sig_peptide (B) LOCATION:1..72 Method for determining the feature: By similarity with a known sequence or to an established consensus sequence. (ix) FEATURE: (A) NAME/KEY: mat_peptide (B) LOCATION:73..498 Method for determining the feature: By similarity with a known sequence or to an established consensus sequence. (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 2: INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 3: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 498 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: double (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: cDNA to mRNA (vi) ORIGINAL SOURCE: (A) ORGANISM: Dog (ix) FEATURE: (A) NAME/KEY: sig_peptide (B) LOCATION:1..72 Method for determining the feature: By similarity with a known sequence or to an established consensus sequence. (ix) FEATURE: (A) NAME/KEY: mat_peptide (B) LOCATION:73..498 Method for determining the feature: By similarity with a known sequence or to an established consensus sequence. (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 3: INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 4: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 498 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: double (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: cDNA to mRNA (vi) ORIGINAL SOURCE: (A) ORGANISM: Dog (ix) FEATURE: (A) NAME/KEY: sig_peptide (B) LOCATION:1..72 Method for determining the feature: By similarity with a known sequence or to an established consensus sequence. (ix) FEATURE: (A) NAME/KEY: mat_peptide (B) LOCATION: 73..498 Method for determining the feature: By similarity with a known sequence or to an established consensus sequence. (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 4: INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 5: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 435 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: double (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: cDNA to mRNA (vi) ORIGINAL SOURCE: (A) ORGANISM: Dog (ix) FEATURE: (A) NAME/KEY: mat_peptide (B) LOCATION:1..435 Method for determining the feature: By similarity with a known sequence or to an established consensus sequence. (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 5: INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 6: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 432 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: double (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: cDNA to mRNA (vi) ORIGINAL SOURCE: (A) ORGANISM: Dog (ix) FEATURE: (A) NAME/KEY: mat_peptide (B) LOCATION:1..432 Method for determining the feature: By similarity with a known sequence or to an established consensus sequence. (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 6:

Claims: Use of canine interferon-γ or a polypeptide having the same biological activity as canine interferon-γ with an amino acid sequence in which one or more amino acid residues of the sequence of canine interferon-γ have been replaced, inserted or deleted for the manufacture of a medicament for the therapeutic treatment of canine allergic dermatitis, pemphigus, hypertrophic dermatitis, mycodermatitis and intractable drug eruption. Use according to claim 1, wherein said canine interferon-γ or said polypeptide is produced by a gene recombinant technique. Use according to claim 2, wherein said canine interferon-γ or said polypeptide is produced by using Escherichia coli, Bombyx mori cells, or silk worms, into all of which a gene coding for an amino acid sequence of canine interferon-γ or said polypeptide has been transduced. Use according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein said therapeutic agent contains canine interferon-γ or said polypeptide and a protein and/or a saccharide.

Inventors: KAWAKAMI ISAO, OKANO FUMIYOSHI, SATOH MASAHIRRO, UCHINO TOMIYA, YAMADA KATSUSHIGE, KAWAKAMI, ISAO, OKANO, FUMIYOSHI, SATOH, MASAHIRRO, UCHINO, TOMIYA, YAMADA, KATSUSHIGE
Applicants: TORAY INDUSTRIES, TORAY INDUSTRIES, INC.
Application year: 1997
Main classification: A61K38
IPC codes: A61K38, C07K14, C12N15