Immunostimulatory oligodeoxynucleotides
The present invention relates to immunostimulatory oligodeoxynucleotides, vectors and vaccines comprising such oligodeoxynucleotides, to their use as a medicament, to their use in preventing or combating infectious disease, to methods for the detection of such oligodeoxynucleotides and to cells to be used in these methods.
1. An immunostimulatory non-methylated oligodeoxynucleotide having the general formula
5′ [G] x {[T] p T T C G T C [T] q } n [G] z 3′ [SEQ ID NO: 25]
wherein p=1-6, q=1-6, n=2-18, x=3-10 and z=0-10
or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
2. The oligodeoxynucleotide according to claim 1 , wherein p>1.
3. The oligodeoxynucleotide according to claim 1 , wherein p>2.
4. The oligodeoxynucleotide according to claim 1 , wherein q>1.
5. The oligodeoxynucleotide according to claim 1 , wherein q>2.
6. The oligodeoxynucleotide according to claim 1 , wherein n=3-18.
7. The oligodeoxynucleotide according to claim 1 , characterised in that the 5′ [G] x and the 3′ [G] z nucleotides have a phosphorothioate binding and the other nucleotides have a phosphodiester binding.
8. The oligodeoxynucleotide according to claim 1 , wherein {[T] p T T C G T C [T] q } n [SEQ ID NO: 26] is a homopolymer.
9. The oligodeoxynucleotide according to claim 1 , wherein said oligodeoxynucleotide is coupled to a carrier or hapten.
10. A vector comprising the oligodeoxynucleotide according to claim 1 .
11. A vaccine for preventing or combating an infectious disease, characterised in that said vaccine comprises an immunostimulatory amount of an oligodeoxynucleotide according to claim 1 , an immunological amount of an antigen component or genetic information encoding an antigen component, and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
12. The vaccine according to claim 11 , characterised in that said antigen component is, or is derived from a virus or micro-organism that in its wild-type form is pathogenic to poultry.
13. The vaccine according to claim 12 characterised in that said virus or micro-organism is selected from the group consisting of an Infectious Bronchitis virus, a Newcastle Disease virus, an Infectious Bursal Disease (Gumboro), a Chicken Anaemia agent, an Avian Reovirus, a Mycoplasma gallisepticum , a Turkey Rhinotracheitis virus, an Haemophilus paragallinarum (Coryza), a Chicken Poxvirus, an Avian Encephalomyelitis virus, an Egg Drop syndrome virus, an Infectious Laryngotracheitis virus, a Herpesvirus of Turkeys, an Eimeria species, an Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale , a Pasteurella multocida , a Mycoplasma synoviae , a Salmonella species and an E. coli.
14. A vaccine for preventing or combating an infectious disease, characterised in that said vaccine comprises a vector comprising the oligodeoxynucleotide according to claim 1 , an immunological amount of an antigen component or genetic information encoding an antigen component, and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
15. A vaccine for preventing or combating an infectious disease, characterised in that said vaccine comprises a vector comprising the oligodeoxynucleotide according to claim 1 , an immunological amount of an antigen component or genetic information encoding an antigen component, and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, wherein said antigen component is, or is derived from a virus or micro-organism that in its wild-type form is pathogenic to poultry.
16. A vaccine for preventing or combating an infectious disease, characterised in that said vaccine comprises a vector comprising the oligodeoxynucleotide according to claim 1 , an immunological amount of an antigen component or genetic information encoding an antigen component, and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, wherein said antigen component is, or is derived from a virus or micro-organism that in its wild-type form is pathogenic to poultry, and wherein said virus or micro-organism is selected from the group consisting of an Infectious Bronchitis virus, a Newcastle Disease virus, an Infectious Bursal Disease (Gumboro), a Chicken Anaemia agent, an Avian Reovirus, a Mycoplasma gallisepticum , a Turkey Rhinotracheitis virus, an Haemophilus paragallinarum (Coryza), a Chicken Poxvirus, an Avian Encephalomyelitis virus, an Egg Drop syndrome virus, an Infectious Laryngotracheitis virus, a Herpesvirus of Turkeys, an Eimeria species, an Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale , a Pasteurella multocida , a Mycoplasma synoviae , a Salmonella species and an E. coli.
17. A medicament that comprises a vector comprising the oligodeoxynucleotide of claim 1 in combination with an immunological amount of an antigenic component or genetic information encoding an antigenic component;
wherein said antigenic component is, or is derived from, a virus or micro-organism that in its wild-type form is pathogenic to poultry.
18. A method of preventing infection in poultry that comprises administering to poultry the medicament of claim 17 .