Promiscuous PAP CD4 T cell epitopes
View Patent ↗The present invention relates to the discovery of novel T cell epitopes of the human prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) protein that is promiscuous for at least 15 different HLA-DR alleles. The invention also relates to compositions that contain one of the novel epitopes or a fusion peptide of such an epitope and a heterologous polypeptide. Further disclosed herein is the use of the epitopes or their fusion peptides, and compositions containing the epitopes or their fusion peptides.
1. An isolated nucleic acid encoding a fusion polypeptide consisting of (1) a peptide consisting of 15 to 18 amino acids and comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:1, fused to (2) a heterologous peptide via a peptide bond.
2. The nucleic acid of claim 1 , wherein the peptide in (1) consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:1.
3. The nucleic acid of claim 1 , wherein the heterologous peptide is a granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF).
4. The nucleic acid of claim 1 , wherein the fusion polypeptide is the peptide of SEQ ID NO:1 fused to a granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) via a peptide bond.
5. An expression cassette comprising the nucleic acid of claim 1 and directing the expression of a fusion polypeptide consisting of (1) a peptide consisting of 15 to 18 amino acids and comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:1, fused to (2) a heterologous peptide via a peptide bond.
6. The expression cassette of claim 5 , which is a recombinant viral vector.
7. The expression cassette of claim 5 , wherein the peptide in (1) consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:1.
8. The expression cassette of claim 5 , wherein the heterologous peptide is a granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF).
9. The expression cassette of claim 5 , which directs the expression of a fusion polypeptide consisting of (1) a peptide consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:1, fused to (2) a granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) via a peptide bond.
10. A host cell comprising the expression cassette of claim 5 .