Patent ID: 7763445

Claim:
A polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide fusion, said polypeptide fusion consisting of, from amino terminus to carboxyl terminus, P1-L-D1-(P2) n , wherein: P1 is a non-immunoglobulin polypeptide, wherein said non-immunoglobulin polypeptide is an extracellular domain of a cell-surface receptor requiring, in its native state, dimerization in order to initiate intracellular signal transduction; L is a polypeptide linker consisting of from 18 to 32 amino acid residues, wherein from 1 to 8 of said residues are cysteine residues; D1 is a dimerizing domain selected from the group consisting of an immunoglobulin CH1 domain, a T-cell receptor Cα domain, a T-cell receptor Cβ domain, a major histocompatibility complex class I α3 domain, β2-microglobulin, a major histocompatibility complex class II α2 domain, and a major histocompatibility complex class II β2 domain; P2 is a linking polypeptide consisting of from 1 to 29 amino acid residues, wherein at least one of said residues is a cysteine residue; and n is 0 or 1.