METHODS AND COMPOSITIONS OF CHIMERIC POLYPEPTIDES FOR TUMOR ANTIGEN VACCINES

摘要

The present invention provides a chimeric polypeptide comprising a hepatitis B virus core antigen (HBcAg) region and a region comprising an epitope of a tumor antigen. The present invention further provides a nucleic acid encoding the chimeric polypeptide, a vector comprising the nucleic acid and a cell comprising the vector. Also provided is a method of inhibiting the growth of tumor cells in a subject, comprising administering to the subject a tumor cell growth-inhibiting amount of a chimeric polypeptide comprising a HBcAg region and a region comprising an epitope of a tumor antigen corresponding to a tumor antigen in the subject. A chimeric polypeptide comprising a hepatitis B virus core antigen region and an antigenic polypeptide region comprising greater than 40 amino acids, which assembles into core particles, is also provided, as well as a method for constructing a chimeric polypeptide comprising a hepatitis B virus core antigen region and an antigenic polypeptide region comprising greater than 40 amino acids, which assembles into core particles, comprising cloning into an expression vector a first DNA fragment encoding the hepatitis B core antigen region and a second DNA fragment encoding an antigenic polypeptide region greater than 40 amino acids; and expressing the DNA of the expression vector in an expression system whereby the chimeric polypeptide assembles into core particles.