Patent ID: 6893821

Claim:
A method for identifying an agent that modulates a biological activity of DNA-PK, comprising: a) adding an agent to be tested to a sample, the sample comprising DNA-PK and an immunomodulatory nucleic acid molecule, under conditions which favor binding of the immunomodulatory nucleic acid molecule to DNA-PK, thereby forming a test sample, wherein the immunomodulatory nucleic acid molecule is a DNA molecule that, when bound to Ku antigen, activates DNA-PKcs, wherein the immunomodulatory nucleic acid molecule comprises a nucleotide sequence selected from 5′-Purine-Purine-C-G-Pyrimidine-Pyrimidine-3′,5′-Purine-TCG-Pyrimidine-Pyrimidine-3′,5′-(TCG) n -3′, where n is an integer that is 1 or greater, 5′-Purine-TCG-Pyrimidine-Pyrimidine-CG-3′, and 5′-Purine-Purine-CG-Pyrimidine-Pyrimidine-CG-3′; and b) detecting a biological activity of DNA-PK protein in the test sample, as compared to a control sample lacking the agent, wherein an increase or a decrease in the biological activity of DNA-PK indicates that the agent modulates a biological activity of DNA-PK.