초록 ▼

A nucleic acid vector comprising: (i) a promoter; (ii) a sequence encoding a HML-2 polypeptide operably linked to said promoter; and (iii) a selectable marker. Preferred vectors comprise: (I) a eukaryotic promoter; (ii) a sequence encoding a HML-2 polypeptide downstream of and operably linked to sai

A nucleic acid vector comprising: (i) a promoter; (ii) a sequence encoding a HML-2 polypeptide operably linked to said promoter; and (iii) a selectable marker. Preferred vectors comprise: (I) a eukaryotic promoter; (ii) a sequence encoding a HML-2 polypeptide downstream of and operably linked to said promoter, (iii) a prokaryotic selectable marker; (iv) a prokaryotic origin of replication; and (v) a eukaryotic transcription terminator downstream of and operably linked to said sequence encoding a HML-2 polypeptide. Vectors of the invention are particularly useful for expression of HML-2 polypeptides either in vitro (e.g. for later purification). Or in vivo (e.g. for nucleic acid immunization). They are well suited to nucleic acid immunization against prostrate tumors. A preferred HML-2 is PCAV, which is located in chromosome 22 at 20.428 megabases (22q11.2).

대표청구항 ▼

1. A nucleic acid vector comprising: (i) a promoter; (ii) a sequence encoding a polypeptide from PCAV, said sequence being operably linked to said promoter; and (iii) a selectable marker. 2. The vector of claim 1, further comprising: (iv) an origin of replication; and (v) a transcription terminator

1. A nucleic acid vector comprising: (i) a promoter; (ii) a sequence encoding a polypeptide from PCAV, said sequence being operably linked to said promoter; and (iii) a selectable marker. 2. The vector of claim 1, further comprising: (iv) an origin of replication; and (v) a transcription terminator downstream of and operably linked to (ii). 3. The vector of claim 2, wherein: (i) & (v) are eukaryotic; and (iii) & (iv) are prokaryotic. 4. The vector of claim 1, wherein the promoter is functional in vivo in a human. 5. The vector of claim 1, wherein the promoter is a viral promoter. 6. The vector of claim 5, wherein the viral promoter is from cytomegalovirus (CMV). 7. The vector of claim 1, comprising transcriptional regulatory sequences in addition to the promoter. 8. The vector of claim 1, wherein the PCAV polypeptide is a gag, prt, pol, env, cORF or PCAP polypeptide. 9. The vector of claim 8, wherein the PCAV polypeptide is a gag polypeptide and has at least 87% identity to SEQ ID NO: 78 or 79. 10. The vector of claim 1, wherein the selectable marker functions in a bacterium. 11. The vector of claim 1, wherein the selectable marker is an antibiotic resistance genes. 12. The vector of claim 1, wherein the vector is a plasmid. 13. The vector of claim 1, wherein the vector comprises an origin of replication. 14. The vector of claim 13, wherein the origin of replication is active in prokaryotes but not in eukaryotes. 15. The vector of claim 1, further comprising a eukaryotic transcriptional terminator sequence downstream of the PCAV-coding sequence. 16. The vector of claim 1, further comprising a multiple cloning site. 17. The vector of claim 1, further comprising an IRES upstream of a second sequence encoding a eukaryotic polypeptide. 18. A pharmaceutical composition comprising the vector of claim 1. 19. A method for raising an immune response, comprising administering an immunogenic dose of the vector of claim 1 to an animal. 20. A method for treating a patient with a prostate tumor, comprising administering to said patient the pharmaceutical composition of claim 18. 21. A virus-like particle (VLP) comprising PCAV gag polypeptides. 22. A method of raising an immune response in an mammal, comprising administering to the mammal the VLP of claim 21, wherein the mammal develops an immune response to PCAV polypeptides. 23. A method for treating a patient with a prostate tumor, comprising administering to said patient the VLP of claim 21, wherein the patient an immune response to PCAV polypeptides. 24. The vector of claim 9, wherein the PCAV polypeptide: (a) comprises SEQ ID NO: 78 or 79; or (b) has at least 90% identity to SEQ ID NO: 78 or 79. 25. The vector of claim 9, wherein the sequence of (ii) comprises: (a) the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 77; (b) a polynucleotide sequence that has at least 72% identity to SEQ ID NO: 76; or (c) a fragment of at least 12 nucleotides from SEQ ID NO: 77. 26. The vector of claim 25, wherein the sequence of (ii) comprises: (a) a polynucleotide sequence that has at least 90% identity to SEQ ID NO: 77; or (b) a fragment of at least 20 nucleotides from SEQ ID NO: 77. 27. The vector of claim 25, wherein the vector comprises: (a) the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 80; or (b) a polynucleotide sequence that has at least 75% identity to SEQ ID NO: 80. 28. The vector of claim 27, wherein the vector comprises a polynucleotide sequence that has at least 90% identity to SEQ ID NO: 80. 29. The vector of claim 9, wherein the sequence of (ii) comprises the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 76, and wherein the vector comprises: (a) the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 53; or (b) a polynucleotide sequence with at least 90% identity to SEQ ID NO: 53. 30. A nucleic acid vector comprising: (i) a promoter; (ii) a sequence encoding a polypeptide from a member of the HML-2 subgroup of the HERV-K family of endogenous retroviruses, said sequence being operably linked to said promoter; and (iii) a selectable marker; wherein the HML-2 polypeptide: (a) has at least 65% identity to one or more of SEQ ID NOS: 5-9, 13, 14, 19-21, 26-28, 32-50 and 69-74; and/or (b) comprises a fragment of at least 7 amino acids from one or more of SEQ ID NOS: 5-9, 13, 14, 19-21, 26-28, 32-50 and 69-74. 31. The vector of claim 30, wherein the HML-2 polypeptide: (a) has at least 90% identity to one or more of SEQ ID NOS: 5-9, 13, 14, 19-21, 26-28, 32-50 and 69-74; and/or (b) comprises a fragment of at least 20 amino acids from one or more of SEQ ID NOS: 5-9, 13, 14, 19-21, 26-28, 32-50 and 69-74. 32. The vector of claim 31, wherein the HML-2 polypeptide comprises one or more of SEQ ID NOS: 5-9, 13, 14, 19-21, 26-28, 32-50 and 69-74. 33. A nucleic acid vector comprising: (i) a promoter; (ii) a sequence encoding a polypeptide from a member of the HML-2 subgroup of the HERV-K family of endogenous retroviruses, said sequence being operably linked to said promoter; and (iii) a selectable marker; wherein the vector comprises a polynucleotide sequence that has at least 90% identity to one or more of SEQ ID NOS: 1-4, 10-12, 15-18, 22-25, 51, 52, 54-56, 58-66, 81 and 82. 34. The vector of claim 33, wherein the vector comprises one or more of SEQ ID NOS: 1-4, 10-12, 15-18, 22-25, 51, 52, 54-56, 58-66, 81 and 82. 35. The vector of claim 33, wherein the vector comprises a polynucleotide sequence that has at least 90% identity to one or more of SEQ ID NOS: 51, 52, 54-56, 58, 60, 62, 64, 66 and 82. 36. The vector of claim 35, wherein the vector comprises one or more of SEQ ID NOS: 51, 52, 54-56, 58, 60, 62, 64, 66 and 82. 37. The VLP of claim 21, wherein the PCAV gag polypeptides have at least 87% identity to SEQ ID NO: 78 or 79. 38. The VLP of claim 37, wherein the PCAV gag polypeptides have at least 90% identity to SEQ ID NO: 78 or 79. 39. The VLP of claim 38, wherein the PCAV gag polypeptides comprise SEQ ID NO: 78 or 79. 40. A VLP comprising HML-2 gag polypeptides, wherein the HML-2 gag polypeptides: (a) have at least 90% identity to one or more of SEQ ID NOS: 5, 6, 9, 69 and 70; and/or (b) comprises a fragment of at least 20 amino acids from one or more of SEQ ID NOS: 5, 6, 9, 69 and 70. 41. The VLP of claim 40, wherein the HML-2 gag polypeptides comprise one or more of SEQ ID NOS: 5, 6, 9, 69 and 70.