Nucleic acid constructs for presentation of CD4 and CD8 epitopes, cellular transfection and uses thereof

摘要

The invention relates to constructs, cells and methods for modulating the immune system that optimize presentation of CD4 and CD8 epitopes to antigen-presenting cells and transfection into cells. Epitopes to either self antigens or non-self antigens can be used to optimize either a tolerance or immunogenicity to those epitopes, respectively. Certain new constructs encode one or more dominant, disease-driving epitopes (CD4) targeted for MHCII processing within the endosomes of a cell and one or more epitopes (CD8) targeted for MHCI processing within the cytosol of the cell, to produce the maximum antigen/epitope presentation in the immune system, and further include an MHCII activator sequence. Alternatively, the new constructs encode CD4 and CD8 epitopes operably linked to a secretion signal.