ENHANCEMENT OF B CELL ACTIVATION AND IMMUNOGLOBULIN SECRETION BY CO-STIMULATION OF RECEPTORS FOR ANTIGEN AND EBV GP350/220

摘要

The present invention provides vaccine adjuvants comprising the EpsteinBarr Virus glycoprotein 350/220 or naturally occurring variants thereof, afusionprotein comprising EBV Gp350/220 sequence which binds to the CR2 receptor, orasynthetically-derived fragment of Gp350/220 which retains the ability to bindto theCR2 receptor. The present invention further provides immunostimulatorycompositions comprising an EBV Gp350/220 adjuvant sequence that binds the CR2complex and at least one antigen of interest other than Gp350/220. Co-administrationof the adjuvant with an antigen of interest, other than an antigencomprising EBV 350/220 sequence, enhances the immunogenicity of the antigen.In a preferred embodiment, the adjuvant is directly or indirectly covalentlybound toan antigen of interest to form an immunogenic composition. In a most preferredembodiment of the composition, antibodies are elicited against at least oneGp350/220 epitope and against at least one epitope of the antigen.