| 摘要 |
Autoantigen vaccines are obtained by conferring antigenicity by formation of multimers, of fusion proteins to non-bacterial sequences, or both. The vaccines can be administered using conventional dosage forms for peptide vaccines, or can be supplied in a recombinant vaccinia and the peptides synthesized in situ. Particularly useful autoantigens are those derived from hormones controlling reproduction. An easily administered and reversible vaccine for preventing human pregnancy is disclosed. The vaccine comprises a vaccinia virus vector modified to contain the DNA sequence encoding the C-terminal portion (CTP) of the beta -chain of human chorionic gonadotropin, or a multimer thereof. The vaccinia vectors are designed so that the encoded antigen is expressed internally by infected cells, or the CTP-encoding sequence is modified to provide a chimera which is capable of carrying the CTPn antigen to the surface of the infected cell and either presenting the CTPnantigen at the cell surface or of secreting it. In a preferred embodiment, the influenza hemagglutinin protein, or portions thereof, are used as the components of the chimera. Similar constructions which include alternate hormone derived sequences are also effective in humans and in other mammals. The antibodies obtained against and specific for these autoantigens are also useful. |
