Adjuvant compounds

摘要

The invention relates to the use of bacterial cytolysin proteins, such as pneumolysin, as adjuvants for stimulating or enhancing immune responses against co-administered target antigens. Desirably, the target antigen is provided as a fusion protein with the cytolysin. The inventors have found that cytolysins may be particularly effective for stimulation of mucosal immune responses against the target antigen.

主权项

1. A method of generating a mucosal immune response against a peptide antigen, comprising administering to a subject a protein comprising a single chain of amino acids forming a fusion protein of said peptide antigen and a cytolysin, wherein said cytolysin is selected from the group consisting of pneumolysin from Streptococcus pneumoniae, perfringolysin O from Clostridium perfringens, intermedilysin from Streptococcus intermedius, alveolysin from Bacillus alvei, anthrolysin from Bacillus anthracis, putative cereolysin from Bacillus cereus, ivanolysin O from Listeria ivanovii, pyolysin from Arcanobacterium pyogenes, suilysin from Streptococcus suis, tetanolysin from Clostridium tetani, thuringiolysin O from Bacillus thuringiensis, botulinolysin from Clostridium botulinum, chauveolysin from C. chauvoei, bifermentolysin from C. bifermentans, sordellilysin from C. sordellii, histolyticolysin from Clostridium histiolyticum, novylysin from Clostridium novyi and septicolysin O from Clostridium septicum, and wherein said peptide antigen is derived from an infectious organism.