Patent ID: 6821957
Filing Date: 2004-11-23
Classification: A61K,C12N

Abstract:
A method of producing a nucleic acid construct that provides enhanced expression of a polypeptide in a mammalian or avian subject, the method comprising the steps of:(a) determining the presence of one or more immunostimulatory unmethylated CpG motifs (CpG-S motifs) in a nucleic acid construct encoding a polypeptide; and, (b) modifying the nucleic acid construct by: (i) removing one or more CpG-S motifs from the nucleic acid construct; and/or (ii) inserting one or more neutralizing CyG motifs (CpG-N motifs) into the nucleic acid construct, wherein the modifying step (b) is performed on one or more non-essential regions of the nucleic acid construct, and/or wherein the modifying step (b) introduces one or more silent mutations into the nucleic acid construct, thereby producing a nucleic acid construct providing enhanced expression of the polypeptide.