Induction of a protective immune response in a mammal by injecting a DNA sequence

A process for generating a detectable antibody response in a mammal, comprising:

• administering in vivo into a tissue of the mammal a construct comprising a noninfectious, nonintegrating DNA sequence encoding an immunogen, wherein said DNA is operably linked to a promoter, in an amount sufficient that uptake of said construct into cells of the mammal occurs, and sufficient expression results, to generate the detectable antibody response,
• wherein said construct is free from association with transfection-facilitating proteins, viral particles, liposomal formulations and charged lipids.

A process for inducing an effective immune response in a mammal to a pathogen comprising:

• administering in vivo into a tissue of the mammal a construct comprising a noninfectious, nonintegrating DNA sequence encoding an immunogen, wherein said DNA is operably linked to a promoter, in an amount sufficient that uptake of said construct into cells of the mammal occurs, and sufficient expression results, to induce the effective immune response to a pathogen,
• wherein said construct is free from association with transfection-facilitating proteins, viral particles, liposomal formulations and charged lipids.

A process for generating a detectable antibody response in a vertebrate, comprising:

• administering in vivo into a tissue of the vertebrate a construct comprising a noninfectious, nonintegrating DNA sequence encoding an immunogen, wherein said DNA is operably linked to a promoter, in an amount sufficient that uptake of said construct into cells of the vertebrate occurs, and sufficient expression results, to generate the detectable antibody response,
• wherein said construct is free from association with transfection-facilitating proteins, viral particles, liposomal formulations and charged lipids.

A process for generating a detectable antibody response in a mammal, comprising:

• injecting into muscle of the mammal a construct comprising a noninfectious, nonintegrating mRNA sequence encoding an immunogen in an amount sufficient that uptake of said construct occurs, and sufficient expression results, to generate the detectable antibody response,
• wherein said construct is free from association with transfection-facilitating proteins, viral particles, liposomal formulations and charged lipids.

A method for immunizing a mammal against infection by a pathogen, comprising:

• obtaining an injectable preparation consisting of a pharmaceutically acceptable injectable carrier containing an expressible polynucleotide coding for an immunogenic peptide or polypeptide, wherein said polynucleotide is a DNA plasmid operably encoding said immunogenic peptide or polypeptide through association with a promoter;
• introducing said injectable preparation into a mammal in need of said immunization, whereby said polynucleotide incorporates into a cell where an immunogenic translation product of said polynucleotide is formed, and said product is processed and presented by said cell in the context of the major histocompatibility complex, thereby eliciting an effective immune response against said pathogen.

A process for generating a detectable antibody response in a mammal, comprising:

• administering in vivo into a tissue of the mammal a construct comprising a noninfectious, nonintegrating DNA sequence encoding an immunogen, wherein said DNA is operably linked to a promoter, in an amount sufficient that uptake of said construct into cells of the mammal occurs, and sufficient expression results, to generate the detectable antibody response,
• wherein said construct is free from association with any transfection-facilitating material.

A process for inducing an effective immune response in a mammal to a pathogen comprising:

• administering in vivo into a tissue of the mammal a construct comprising a noninfectious, nonintegrating DNA sequence encoding an immunogen, wherein said DNA is operably linked to a promoter, in an amount sufficient that uptake of said construct into cells of the mammal occurs, and sufficient expression results, to induce the effective immune response to a pathogen,
• wherein said construct is free from association with any transfection-facilitating material.

A process for generating a detectable antibody response in a vertebrate, comprising:

• administering in vivo into a tissue of the vertebrate a construct comprising a noninfectious, nonintegrating DNA sequence encoding an immunogen, wherein said DNA is operably linked to a promoter, in an amount sufficient that uptake of said construct into cells of the vertebrate occurs, and sufficient expression results, to generate the detectable antibody response,
• wherein said construct is free from association with any transfection-facilitating material.

A process for generating a detectable antibody response in a mammal, comprising:

• injecting into muscle of the mammal a construct comprising a noninfectious, nonintegrating mRNA sequence encoding an immunogen in an amount sufficient that uptake of said construct occurs, and sufficient expression results, to generate the detectable antibody response,
• wherein said construct is free from association with transfection-facilitating material.