A live attenuated Shigella vaccine, which is based on a rough Shigella strain lacking LPS O-antigen which is non-invasive through a mutation of the invasion plasmid, specifically for use in the immunoprophylaxis of a subject to prevent infectious diseases, preferably enteral disease, and a Shigella strain, which is a S. flexneri 2a strain with a deletion of the rfb F, ipa B and/or ipa C genes, as well as a recombinant plasmid vector based on a mutated Shigella invasion plasmid comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding at least one heterologous antigen, wherein the plasmid is mutated in at least one of the ipa B and/or ipa C genes.

Provided is a galactose mutarotase gene promoter derived from Lactobacillus casei and the use thereof, and more particularly, to a Lactobacillus casei-derived galactose mutarotase gene promoter having the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1, an expression vector containing the promoter, and a microorganism transformed with the expression vector. A microorganism transformed with an expression vector containing the promoter may effectively express a target protein on the cell surface, and thus is useful as a vaccine vehicle or the like. Moreover, provided is a surface expression vector having pgsA, which is a gene encoding poly-gamma-glutamate synthetase, and a method of expressing a target protein on the microbial surface using the vector. The vector containing foreign genes inserted therein is transformed into a microorganism and allows a foreign protein is to be stably expressed on the surface of the microorganism.

The present invention provides for novel compositions and methods for delivering genes of interest to stem cells using vectors that contain differentiation-specific transcriptional regulatory elements. For example, stem cells in the internal epithelia could be transfected with a vaccine construct, which has an epithelial cell differentiation-specific promoter driving the expression of viral envelope proteins. When the promoter used is specific for terminally differentiated epithelial cells, then the viral envelope proteins will be expressed only in the upper part of the epithelia and therefore, stimulate the immune response. The infected epithelial stem cells in the basal layer will continue to produce new antigen-expressing cells, without being eliminated by the immune response. This invention will be useful in the development of vaccines against viral agents that target the internal mucosa like HIV.

The present invention provides a recombinant bacterium and methods of using the recombinant bacterium to induce an immune response.

Modified non-human mammalian hepatoma cell lines that express hepatitis C virus (HCV) antigens and which are capable of generating tumours in a syngeneic animal model are provided. The cell lines are generated by genomic integration of an expression construct that comprises one or more HCV antigen-encoding sequences under the control of a constitutive promoter. The expression construct further comprises a selectable marker and a reporter gene under the control of the same promoter. The cell lines are useful for testing prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines against HCV either in vitro or in vivo.

The present invention relates to photon-irradiated streptococcal vaccine preparations and methods for their use.

The present invention relates to the preparation and use in primates of whole organismvaccines in which the MEP pathway is disrupted such that synthesis of HMBPP by the bacterial cells is substantially blocked. The data provided demonstrates that, when bacteria or other vaccine vectors that comprise an active MEP pathway are used in vaccine methods, the γδ T cell response dominates, potentially clearing the vaccine strain via γδ T cell-mediated killing of vector infected antigen presenting cells and reducing its utility as a stimulator of a productive adaptive immune response, specifically priming or boosting of CD4.sup.+ and CD8.sup.+ αβ T cell responses, specific for listerial-encoded antigens. By disrupting the MEP pathway, activation and expansion of γδ T cells is limited in the recipient primate, resulting in resulting in an increase in the magnitude and duration of inflammation and in the magnitude and duration of antigen presentation by the cellular vaccine.

A PCV2 vaccine and a method of vaccinating against PCV2 are provided herein. The PCV2 vaccine includes a PCV2 infectious clone with a re-engineered PCV2 capsid in the backbone thereof, wherein the re-engineered PCV2 capsid includes a modified immunogenic region. The method of vaccinating against PCV2 includes administering the PCV2 vaccine including a PCV2 infectious clone with a re-engineered PCV2 capsid in the backbone thereof to a subject in need thereof.

Disclosed is a gene multiple insertion cassette set including rDNA NTS fragments and an auxotrophic selection marker having an incomplete promoter is developed, and a safe oral recombinant strain having no antibiotic resistant marker is constructed by multiple insertion of an optimum number of the developed gene multiple insertion cassette sets into chromosomes of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain, a vaccine composition including, as an active ingredient, the above strain, a culture product thereof, a cell lysate, or nodavirus capsid protein (NNVcp) isolated and purified therefrom, and a composition for feed addition including, as an active ingredient, the above strain, a culture product thereof, a cell lysate, or squalene or oxidosqualene isolated and purified therefrom.

Vaccine compositions including a yeast comprising an immunostimulatory polypeptide and optionally an antigenic polypeptide are provided herein. The immunostimulatory polypeptide and the antigenic polypeptide are expressed or displayed on the surface of the yeast vaccine composition. Methods of using the vaccine composition to vaccinate subjects are also provided.