EPITOPE-BEARING MAJOR HISTOCOMPATIBILITY COMPLEX CLASS II ELEMENT/IMMUNOGLOBULIN CHIMERIC MOLECULES

摘要

The present invention relates to immunologically active molecules comprising an epitope of interest, more than one major histocompatibility complex class II element, and an immunoglobulin constant region element, wherein the epitope is comprised in a fusion protein which comprises a major histocompatibility class II element, wherein each major histocompatibility class II element comprises two non-covalently associated chains comprising extracellular domains of a major histocompatibility complex class II protein, and wherein the major histocompatibility class II elements are covalently joined by one or more disulfide linkages present in the immunoglobulin constant region element. The molecules of the invention may be used to selectively eliminate T cells bearing TCRs which react with the epitope of interest in the context of the major histocompatibility complex class II element, and therefore may be used to eliminate or reduce specific T cell populations, for example, but not by way of limitation, in the treatment of an autoimmune disease and/or a graft-versus host disease.