DOMAINS AND EPITOPES OF MENINGOCOCCAL PROTEIN NMB1870 Russian patent published in 2009 - IPC C07K14/00 C12N15/31 A61K38/16 A61K39/95 A61P31/04 

FIELD: medicine.

SUBSTANCE: invention concerns protein NMB1870 which represents common surface protein Neisseria meningitidis expressed with all Neisseria serogroups. Protein is subdivided into three separate families. The whey induced against antigen of a certain family, has bactericidal effect within this family, but is inactive concerning strains expressing antigens of one of other two families, i.e. there is a cross protection within family, but not between families. It is established, that NMB1870 can be subdivided into domains and that antigen domains can be recovered from NMB1870 of all three families and expressed as a polypeptide chain that is implemented by the method disclosed in the invention. Also it is discovered that NMB1870 expresses some epitopes in surface loops located between alpha spirals, and that epitope substitution of the loop of one family with that of the other family enables making chimeric NMB1870 of antigenicity characteristic for proteins of several families. In the invention there are disclosed chimeric proteins NMB1870 (versions) partially containing NMB1870 of various families.

EFFECT: proteins produced according to the invention can be used as a medical agent as a component of immunological compositions for immunization against diseases caused by Neisseria meningitidis without family specificity of protection.

22 cl, 46 dwg