Interference No. 105,188
Short v. Punnonnen
the ability to bind to the natural ligand(s) of the B
lymphocyte antigen on immune cells, such as CTLA4 and/or
CD28 on T cells, and inhibit (e.g., block) or stimulate
(e.g., enhance) immune cell costimulation. Such nucleic
5 acids are considered equivalents of the human B7-2
nucleotide sequence provided in Figure 8 (SEQ ID NO:1)
and murine B7-2 nucleotide sequence provided in Figure 14
(SEQ ID NO:22) and are within the scope of this invention.
10 (Exh. 2040, p. 10, ll. 24-35);
In one embodiment, the nucleic acid is a cDNA encoding a
peptide having an activity of the B7-2 B lymphocyte antigen.
Preferably, the nucleic acid is a cDNA molecule consisting
15 of a least a portion of a nucleotide sequence encoding human
B7-2 . . . .
(Exh. 2040, p. 10, l. 36, to p. 11, l. 1);
20 A “fragment” of a nucleic acid encoding a novel B
lymphocyte antigen is defined as a nucleotide sequence
having fewer nucleotides than the nucleotide sequence
encoding the entire amino acid sequence of the B lymphocyte
antigen and which encodes a peptide having an activity of
25 the B lymphocyte antigen (i.e., the ability to bind to the
natural ligand(s) of the B lymphocyte antigen on immune
cells, such as CTLA4 and/or CD28 on T cells and either
stimulate or inhibit immune cell costimulation). Thus, a
peptide having B7-2 activity binds CTLA4 and/or CD28 and
30 stimulates or inhibits a T cell mediated immune response, as
evidenced by, for example, cytokine production and/or T cell
proliferation by T cells that have received a primary
activation signal. In one embodiment, the nucleic acid
fragment encodes a peptide of the B7-2 antigen which retains
35 the ability of the antigen to bind CTLA4 and/or CD28 and
deliver a costimulatory signal to T lymphocytes. In another
embodiment, the nucleic acid fragment encodes a peptide
including an extracellular portion of the human B7-2 antigen
(e.g., approximately amino acid residues 24-245 of the
40 sequence provided in Figure 8 (SEQ ID NO:2)) which can be
used to bind CTLA4 and/or CD28 and, in monovalent form,
inhibit costimulation, or in multivalent form, induce or
enhance costimulation.
45 (Exh. 2040, p. 12, ll. 18-33);
-8-
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