Patent ID: 7097965

Claim:
A method of inducing antigen presenting mammalian cells to present cytotoxic T cell epitopes of a specific whole protein antigen on their cell membranes via the cytosolic MHC class I processing pathway, the method comprising the steps of: i) selecting cells that can process and present cytotoxic T cell epitopes of specific whole protein antigen on their cell membranes via the cytosolic MHC class I processing pathway; ii) contacting the cells with an anthrax protective antigen and said specific whole protein antigen bound to an anthrax protective antigen binding protein, wherein the anthrax protective antigen binding protein comprises at least about the first 250 amino acid residues of the lethal factor of Bacillus anthracis and less than all of the amino acid residues of the lethal factor; and, iii) permitting the cells to internalize said anthrax protective antigen and said specific whole protein antigen bound to an anthrax protective antigen binding protein, process said whole protein antigen into multiple epitopes and present said epitopes on its cell membrane, forming specific antigen presenting cells.