DNA VACCINES FOR ELICITING A MUCOSAL IMMUNE RESPONSE

摘要

The invention consists of a method for inducing production of a mucosal immune response in a host by administration of an antigen-encoding polynucleotide preparation, comprising DNA or RNA encoding an antigenic epitope to a mucosal inductor site in the mucosal tissue of the host. Naked DNA may be administered directly to mucosa, for instance in saline drops, or in a recombinant gene expression vector. Preferably, the recombinant gene expression vectors are not capable of replication or dissemination. The invention also includes the use of live viral vaccines wherein the viruses include immunostimulatory polynucleotides of the invention. According to a preferred method of the invention, a target protein antigen is administered through its expression by a recombinant gene expression vector.