Patent ID: 7842289

Claim:
A recombinant nucleic acid molecule, comprising: (a) a first polynucleotide sequence encoding a signal peptide native to a Listeria monocytogenes bacterium, wherein the first polynucleotide sequence is codon-optimized to replace at least one codon of the native coding sequence of the polynucleotide with a codon that is more frequently used by Listeria monocytogenes , for expression in the Listeria monocytogenes bacterium; and (b) a second polynucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide heterologous to the signal peptide, wherein the second polynucleotide sequence is in the same translational reading frame as the first polynucleotide sequence, wherein the recombinant nucleic acid molecule encodes a fusion protein comprising the signal peptide and the polypeptide.