Patent ID: 8729039

Claim:
A method of inhibiting immunostimulatory oligodeoxynucleotide-induced cytokine production in a patient having an autoimmune disease, the method comprising administering to the patient an effective amount of an inhibitory oligonucleotide comprising a hexameric nucleotide sequence of the formula 5′-Purine-Purine-[Y]-[Z]-Pyrimidine-Pyrimidine-3′ or 5′-Purine-Purine-[Y]-[Z]-poly(Pyrimidine)-3; where Y is any naturally occurring or synthetic nucleotide except cytosine and Z is any naturally occurring or synthetic nucleotide, wherein when Y is not guanosine or inosine, Z is guanosine or inosine, and wherein the inhibitory oligonucleotide has a length of from 6 nucleotides to 45 nucleotides.