Patent ID: 8945923
Filing Date: 2015-02-03
Classification: C07K,C12N

Abstract:
1. A method for inducing clonal expansion of a B cell specific for an antigen of interest, comprising the steps of: (i) expressing in a population of B cells comprising a multitude of antigen-specificities the recombinant protein comprising: (a) an amino acid sequence of an intracellular segment of CD40 comprising the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1, and (b) an amino acid sequence mediating the association of the recombinant protein with the constant region of an immunoglobulin heavy chain comprising the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 2, wherein the amino acid sequences under (a) and (b) are linked via (c) an amino acid sequence comprising the amino acid sequence of a transmembrane domain, comprising the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 3 or 4, and (ii) selectively activating B cells with specificity for an antigen of interest by contacting the population of B cells of (i) with said antigen of interest under conditions allowing binding of said antigen of interest to a hetero-complex comprising said recombinant protein and an immunoglobulin variable region which is specific for the antigen of interest, thereby triggering the intracellular CD40 signaling cascade resulting in proliferation and differentiation of the B cell into an antibody secreting B cell, and (iii) cultivating the B cells of (ii), thereby clonally expanding said activated B cells with specificity for the antigen of interest.