Method of identifying CD4+ T cell antigens

摘要

The present invention is directed to a method of identifying CD4+ T cell antigens as well as to antigens which were identified by such a method. The present invention further is directed to the application of those identified antigens in medicine.

主权项

1. Method of identifying CD4+ T cell antigens comprising the steps of:
a) providing an antigen encoding nucleic acid from tissue of patients and obtaining antigenic fragments of said nucleic acid, wherein the fragments have a size ranging from about 25 to about 300 bp; b) expressing said fragments as a fusion protein comprising said fragment and a marker in a suitable host cell, wherein the marker is chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT); c) contacting said fusion protein expressing cell with antigen presenting cells (APCs) and co-cultivating with antigen-specific CD4+ T cells; d) determining whether the CD4+ T cells are activated by said fusion protein expressing cells; and e) identifying the antigen fragments which activate the antigen-specific CD4+ T cells by sequence analysis.