| abstract |
This invention provides an isolated mammalian nucleic acid molecule encoding a mammalian prostate-specific membrane antigen. This invention also provides prostate-specific membrane nucleic acid of at least 15 nucleotides capable of specifically hybridizing with a sequence of a nucleic acid molecule encoding a mammalian prostate-specific membrane antigen. This invention further provides vector and vector host expression system for the prostate-specific membrane antigen. This invention also provides methods to identify ligands which bind to the prostate-specific membrane antigen, to generate antibody against a complete prostate-specific membrane antigen or a portion of the antigen. This invention further provides purified prostate-specific membrane antigen. This invention provides a therapeutic agent comprising an antibody directed against to prostate-specific membrane antigen and a cytotoxic agent conjugated thereto. This invention also provides a method of imaging prostate cancer and an immunoassay for measuring the amount of the prostate-specific membrane antigen in a biological sample. This invention further provides transgenic nonhuman mammal which comprises the isolated nucleic acid molecule encoding a mammalian prostate-specific membrane antigen. |