Interleukin-1 muteins useful as vaccine adjuvants

• Main Authors: Dondero, Richard S, Staats, Herman F
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 02.12.2003

The immune system is regulated in part by a complex network of chemical signals. These signals include the interleukins such as IL-1 and IL-1 . IL-1 is a polypeptide hormone synthesized and secreted by stimulated monocytes. The initial translation product of IL-1 is a 31 kDa precursor polypeptide having relatively low biological activity. After synthesis, the 31 kDa precursor for IL-1 is enzymatically cleaved to its highly active mature form which has a size of about 17.5 kDa. The N-terminus of mature IL-1 derived from human activated monocytes has been characterized by an N-terminal amino acid sequence beginning with Ala-Pro. The N-terminal Ala residue of human mature IL-1 is in the 117 position and an Asp residue is in the 116 position counting from the N-terminus of human precursor IL-1 polypeptide. Mature IL-1 consists of the C-terminal 153 residues of the precursor polypeptide. The present invention concerns compositions comprising an IL-1 mutein that is useful as an adjuvant for stimulating a controlled immune response when administered to a human or animal. For example, muteins of IL-1 can be used according to the invention. The mutein composition can include a vaccine antigen, such as whole inactivated or attenuated virus, recombinant or synthetic peptides, and other antigenic materials.The present invention also pertains to the use of an IL-1 mutein in a human or animal as an adjuvant to increase immune responses to an antigen or other material to which an immune response is desired.