Patent ID: 8859229

Claim:
A linear double-stranded DNA template obtained by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and suitable for in vitro transcription of an mRNA comprising from 5′ to 3′: an RNA polymerase promoter on the coding strand of the double-stranded DNA, a 5′ untranslated region less than 3,000 nucleotides in length and effective for translation of the mRNA into a detectable polypeptide after transfection into a eukaryotic cell, an open reading frame that encodes the polypeptide, wherein the polypeptide is heterologous to the cell to be transfected and wherein the polypeptide is selected from the group consisting of a ligand or a receptor of an immune cell, a polypeptide that stimulates or inhibits a function of the immune system, and a polypeptide that inhibits the function of an oncogenic polypeptide, 3′ untranslated region effective for translation of the mRNA into a detectable polypeptide after transfection into a eukaryotic cell, and a poly(A) stretch of 50-5,000 nucleotides on the coding strand of the double-stranded DNA, wherein the promoter is heterologous to the open reading frame, and wherein the DNA template is not contained within a DNA vector and terminates with the 3′ end of the poly(A) stretch.