The present invention relates to a consensus sequence of the antigen telomerase and the use thereof in preventive and therapeutic vaccination. In particular, the present invention relates to the generation of a consensus sequence of the antigen telomerase (ConTRt) and the use thereof in preventive and therapeutic vaccination, wherein the telomerase consensus sequence was generated by the fusion of two sequences, one belonging to human telomerase (hTERT) and the other to dog telomerase (dTERT), with the aim of developing an effective vaccine for the treatment of tumours expressing both human and dog telomerase, hence in both the human and veterinary sectors.

It is well known that vaccination is a powerful tool for obtaining the activation of the immune system against pathogens of every type. Vaccination represents the first-line preventive intervention for eliminating the risk of contracting dangerous infectious diseases which can spread throughout a large part of the population, at times causing true epidemics. At present, thanks to vaccines it is possible to defeat highly dangerous infectious diseases for which a therapy either does not exist (poliomyelitis and hepatitis B) or is not always effective (diphtheria, tetanus) or diseases that can be a cause of serious complications (measles, German measles and whooping cough).

Immunotherapy, i.e. the therapeutic treatment of disease by means of an activation or suppression of the immune system, has demonstrated to be effective also against various types of tumours, despite having to overcome several limitations, such as immunological tolerance and low immunogenicity. The objective of tumour immunotherapy is therefore to restore the ability of the immune system to recognise tumour cells and eliminate them effectively, by overcoming the mechanisms whereby tumours suppress the immune response. To this end, the immune system recognises tumour-associated molecules (tumour-associated antigens) [Liu 2017], which, despite also being expressed by normal cells, appear on tumour cells in an abnormal manner in terms of quantity, site or time (for example, the carcinoembryonic antigen CEA) or molecules expressed exclusively by tumour cells (tumour-specific antigens), such as the products of normally silent genes [Seremet 2011]. Notwithstanding the discovery of tumour antigens as a target of immunotherapeutic strategies, the greatest obstacle in the development of cancer immunotherapy has been the absence of an antigen common to the majority of patients affected by the most common types of cancer, and thus different research groups have concentrated on the search for a universal tumour-associated antigen capable of inducing a T-cell response of a cytotoxic type (CTL) against a wide range of tumour types.

The tumour-associated antigen telomerase represents an ideal candidate for anti-tumour immunotherapy. Telomerase is an enzyme responsible for the lengthening of DNA telomeres, a phenomenon typical of actively proliferating cells, such as embryonal ones, and which is by contrast absent under physiological conditions in somatic cells. Under certain pathological conditions, in which proliferative activity increases, such as in neoplasms, telomerase activity also increases enormously, and various studies have by now demonstrated the correlation existing between telomerase activity and cancer [Akincilar 2016]. In addition to being expressed in about 90% of tumour types, telomerase is degraded by cellular proteasomes into peptides then presented in the context of MHC class I on the surface of the tumour cell as the target of the activity of antigen-specific cytotoxic T-cells. Considering the considerably lower levels of telomerase activity in somatic cells under physiological conditions, the number of specific MHC/TERT peptide complexes present at the level of the plasma membrane are insufficient to activate an immune response [Gross 2004], whereas the abnormal expression of telomerase in tumour cells enables the immune system to discriminate between normal tissue and neoplastic tissue, thus making telomerase an ideal candidate as a universal target antigen for an antitumour vaccine [Vonderheide 2002] Furthermore, J. Yan et al., 2013, describe an optimised DNA vaccine that targets the reverse transcriptase of human telomerase, which should stimulate antitumour immunity [J. Yan et al. 2013]

Consequently, in recent years various phase I/ll clinical studies have been started up in humans, with the aim of conducting experiments on antitumour vaccines targeting hTERT and based on peptides or autologous dendritic cells exhibiting the antigen telomerase [Kailashiya 2017] However, such vaccines, despite the high immunogenicity and specificity for telomerase, are H LA-restricted and thus not potentially universal. In fact, to date such clinical studies have not yet achieved the hoped-for results, demonstrating a limited clinical impact on the majority of patients. Accordingly, in order to overcome such limitations, DNA vaccines targeting hTERT have been formulated, in consideration of the greater stability, ease of production and universal applicability of DNA [Dharmapuri 2009; Thalmensi 2016]. Furthermore, with the aim of improving their immunogenicity, new genetic vaccination methods have been conceived, e.g. electroporation, which have considerably increased the effectiveness of DNA vaccines, thus promoting experimentation therewith in phase I/ll clinical studies in humans [Teixeira 2020].

In recent years, such therapeutic approaches have also been developed for the veterinary field. It is well known, in fact, that domestic animals, in particular dogs, develop tumours whose biology, incidence and response to therapies are similar to those of humans [Ranieri 2013]. Furthermore, unlike other species used as preclinical models (for example monkeys), dogs represent an excellent model for studies on the effectiveness of antitumour therapies, considering the spontaneous onset and intrinsic interindividual heterogeneity of tumours, as occurs in humans. In dogs as well, furthermore, telomerase is expressed in over 90% of tumour types [Nasir 2008]. In various models of dog tumours expressing dTERT, clinical studies have thus been conducted which have demonstrated the effectiveness of genetic vaccines, in combination with chemotherapy treatment, in inducing a specific immune response to dTERT together with a greater antitumour effect and longer patient survival [Peruzzi 2010; Gavazza 2013; Thalmensi 2019]. Furthermore, also in this animal model, various strategies for administering the vaccine have been experimented with, including electroporation [Impellizeri 2012] and high pressure without the use of needles [Bergman 2006], the former method being capable of inducing a more powerful antigen-specific immune response than the latter [Yu 2011]. There are known immunogenic compositions comprising a nucleic acid which comprise a sequence encoding a cat or dog telomerase deprived of telomerase catalytic activity (WO2014/154904; WO2014/154905).

At present, only one genetic vaccine (Oncept®, distributed by Merial) directed against tyrosinase and used in the treatment of canine melanoma has been approved for sale by the USDA.

Therefore, in the light of the above, it appears evident that there is a need to provide more effective vaccination strategies which overcome the limits of the presently known methods for the treatment of telomerase- expressing tumours, in both the human and veterinary sectors.

It is well known that vaccination with a xenogeneic antigen, which shows a sufficient degree of homology with its ortholog, represents an effective method for obtaining more potent immune responses and overcoming tolerance towards self-proteins [Fattori 2009]. A particular example is offered by the xenogeneic DNA vaccination against ErbB2, a tyrosine kinase expressed in 20-30% of breast cancers and in different very aggressive types of epithelial tumours. In fact, the vaccine against the human form of ErbB2 (Her2) is capable of breaking immunological tolerance [Jacob 2006] in a model of transgenic mice with breast cancer expressing the rat form of ErbB2 (neu) due to the phenomenon of cross reactivity [Cavallo 2014] In particular, the autologous vaccine is capable of inducing antibodies towards the self-antigen, whereas the xenogeneic vaccine stimulates the activation of T-cells against the ortholog antigen. Consequently, in order to combine both immune system activation mechanisms, DNA sequences encoding for a chimeric rat/human or human/rat ErbB2 protein have been created, which has demonstrated to be able to induce potent responses against Her2/neu both in wild-type mice and in Her2/neu transgenic mice [Quaglino 2010]. The effectiveness of xenogeneic vaccination in breaking tolerance towards self-antigens and inducing an antitumour effect has been demonstrated in clinical studies conducted in humans [Ginsberg 2010; Eriksson 2013]. In canine melanoma as well, the strategy of xenogeneic vaccination, in particular with a plasmid encoding for the human form of the antigen CSPG4, has revealed to be effective for obtaining longer survival times in patients, who developed antibodies directed against both the human and canine forms of the target antigen [Riccardo 2014] Therefore, xenogeneic vaccination represents a therapeutic anti-tumour strategy that may be explored against various tumour-associated antigens both in humans and in dogs.

The present invention fits into this context, as it aims to provide a chimeric vaccine capable of increasing the cellular and antibody immune response against telomerase.

According to the present invention, a telomerase consensus between humans and dogs and a nucleotide sequence encoding for said telomerase consensus have now been devised to be advantageously used in the preventive and therapeutic vaccination against telomerase- expressing tumours.

For this purpose, three different approaches have been developed, all of them aimed at creating a chimeric fusion protein from human and dog telomerase. According to the first approach, a chimeric canine-human sequence (CaHu) containing a codon-optimised sequence first of dTERT and then of hTERT has been created, followed by the profilin-like protein of Toxoplasma Gondii (PFTG), a protein known for strengthening the immune response [Yarovinsky 2005]. In the second approach, a chimeric human-canine (CaFlu) containing a codon-optimised sequence first of hTERT and then of dTERT, followed by PFTG, was created. Finally, in the third approach, a consensus sequence between dTERT and hTERT (conTRT) followed by PFTG was created through a bioinformatic approach.

According to the present invention, it was surprisingly found in a murine model that the genetic vaccine directed against telomerase and encoding for conTRT is more immunogenic and cross-reactive compared to the chimeric sequences CaHu and HuCa. Furthermore, according to the present invention, an antitumour effect was observed in a murine tumour model of colorectal cancer expressing hTert thanks to a preventive treatment with the conTRT vaccine. Both in healthy beagles and in dogs affected by lymphoma, an immunogenicity of the conTRT vaccine against both hTERT and dTERT was observed. The experimental results obtained using a DNA vaccine according to the present invention make it plausible also to assume an anti-tumour effectiveness of administering the protein sequences encoded by said DNA vaccine.

It is therefore a specific object of the present invention an amino acid sequence of the antigen telomerase, said amino acid sequence being selected from among: an amino acid consensus sequence of the antigen telomerase comprising or consisting of sequence SEQ ID NO:1 ; a chimeric amino acid sequence of dog and human telomerase comprising or consisting of sequence SEQ ID NO:2, or a chimeric amino acid sequence of human and dog telomerase comprising or consisting of sequence SEQ ID NO:3, preferably an amino acid consensus sequence of the antigen telomerase comprising or consisting of sequence SEQ ID NO:1.

The amino acid sequence according to the present invention can further comprise one or more leader sequences such as, for example, the secretion leader sequence of the tissue plasminogen activator (TPA), of IgK, of growth hormone, of serum albumin or of alkaline phosphatase, preferably of the tissue plasminogen activator.

Furthermore, the amino acid sequence according to the present invention can further comprise one or more immunomodulating amino acid sequences, such as, for example, the fragment crystallisable (Fc) region, profilin-like protein of Toxoplasma Gondii (PFTG) or a functional fragment derived therefrom, the B subunit of the heat-labile toxin of Escherichia Coli (LTB) or the tetanus toxin (TT), preferably profilin-like protein of Toxoplasma Gondii. The present invention further relates to a nucleotide sequence encoding for the amino acid sequence as defined above.

The nucleotide sequence according to the present invention can be selected from a nucleotide sequence comprising or consisting of sequence SEQ ID NO:4, or of a sequence having a sequence identity of at least 80% with respect to SEQ ID NO:4, of sequence SEQ ID NO:5 or of sequence SEQ ID NO:6, preferably a nucleotide sequence comprising or consisting of sequence SEQ ID NO:4. For example, said sequence having a sequence identity of at least 80% with respect to SEQ ID NO:4 can have a sequence identity of at least 80%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%.

As mentioned above, the nucleotide sequence can further comprise a nucleotide sequence encoding for one or more leader sequences such as, for example, the secretion leader sequence of the tissue plasminogen activator (TPA), of IgK, of growth hormone, of serum albumin or of alkaline phosphatase, preferably of the tissue plasminogen activator. The nucleotide sequence can further comprise a nucleotide sequence encoding for one or more immunomodulating amino acid sequences, that is, sequences capable of strengthening the activation of the immune system, such as, for example, the fragment crystallisable (Fc) region, profilin-like protein of Toxoplasma Gondii (PFTG) or a functional fragment derived therefrom, the B subunit of the heat-labile toxin of Escherichia Coli (LTB) or the tetanus toxin (TT), preferably profilin-like protein of Toxoplasma Gondii.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, said nucleotide sequence comprises the nucleotide sequence SEQ ID NO:4, or a sequence having a sequence identity of at least 80% with respect to SEQ ID NO:4, and the nucleotide sequence encoding the profilin-like protein of Toxoplasma Gondii.

In particular, said nucleotide sequence encoding the profilin-like protein of Toxoplasma Gondii can comprise or consist of the sequence TCTAGAAGCGACTGGGACCCCGTGGTGAAGGAATGGCTGGTGGACA CCGGCTACTGCTGTGCCGGCGGAATCGCCAACGCCGAGGATGGCGT GGTGTTCGCCGCTGCAGCCGACGATGACGACGGCTGGAGCAAGCTG TACAAGGACGACCACGAGGAGGACACCATCGGCGAGGACGGCAACG CCT GTGGCAAGGT GT CCAT CAACG AGGCCAGCACCAT CAAGGCCGC CGTGGACGACGGCAGCGCCCCCAACGGAGTGTGGATCGGCGGCCA GAAAT ACAAGGTT GT G AGGCCCG AG AAGGGCTT CG AGT ACAACG ACT GTACCTTCGACATCACCATGTGTGCCAGAAGCAAAGGCGGAGCCCA CCT GAT CAAG ACCCCCAACGGCAGCAT CGT GAT CGCCCT GT ACG AC GAGGAGAAGGAGCAGGACAAGGGCAACAGCAGAACCAGCGCCCTG GCCTT CGCCG AGT ACCTGCACCAG AGCGGCT ACT GAT G A (SEQ ID N0:31 ), wherein the first six nucleotides of sequence TCTAGA encode for a cloning site of sequence SR, whereas the last six nucleotides of sequence TGATGA encode for two consecutive stop codons.

The present invention further relates to an expression vector comprising the nucleotide sequence as defined above.

The expression vector can be selected from the group consisting of a plasmid, for example bacterial plasmids, an RNA, a replicating RNA, amplicons obtained by PCR, a viral vector such as, for example, adenovirus, poxvirus, vaccinia virus, fowlpox, herpes virus, adeno- associated virus (AAV), alphavirus, lentivirus, lambda phage, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, Listeria sp, and Salmonella sp.

The present invention further relates to a pharmaceutical composition comprising an amino acid sequence as defined above, a nucleotide sequence as defined above or an expression vector as defined above, in combination with one or more pharmaceutically acceptable excipients and/or adjuvants.

Furthermore, the present invention relates to an amino acid sequence as defined above, a nucleotide sequence as defined above, an expression vector as defined above or a pharmaceutical composition as defined above, for use in the medical field.

It is a further object of the present invention an amino acid sequence as defined above, a nucleotide sequence as defined above, an expression vector as defined above or a pharmaceutical composition as defined above, for use in the prevention and treatment of telomerase- expressing tumours, such as, for example, lymphomas, hemangiosarcoma and prostate cancer.

According to the present invention, the amino acid sequence as defined above, the nucleotide sequence as defined above, the expression vector as defined above or the pharmaceutical composition as defined above can be advantageously employed as a DNA, RNA or protein-based vaccine. When the vaccine is a DNA or RNA vaccine, said vaccine can be administered by electroporation, preferably under the following conditions: 8 pulses of 20 msec, each at 110V, 8Hz, with an interval of 120 msec between each of them.

According to the present invention, the above-described use can be a use either in the human sector or in the veterinary sector, for example in man or in dogs.

The present invention further relates to a kit for the prevention and treatment of telomerase-expressing tumours, said kit comprising or consisting of: a) nucleotide sequence as defined above, expression vector as defined above or pharmaceutical composition as defined above comprising said nucleotide sequence or said vector, and b) a device for in vivo gene transduction, such as, for example, a device for administration by electroporation.

The present invention will now be described, by an illustrative but non-limiting way, according to a preferred embodiment thereof, with particular reference to the examples and the figures in the appended drawings, wherein:

- Figure 1 shows the homology between the amino acid sequences of hTERT, HuCa, dTERT, CaHu and conTRT: A) amino acids 1-500; B) amino acids 501 -1000; C) amino acids 1001 -1141.

- Figure 2 shows the number of splenocytes (expressed as spot forming cells, SFC per million) secreting IFNy, determined by means of the ELISpot technique, after 16 hours of stimulation with pools A, B, C and D of 15-mer peptides and overlapping by 11 amino acid residues both of the hTERT protein and of the dTERT protein, isolated from wild-type mice vaccinated, by electroporation, with the hTERT, dTERT, CaHu, HuCa and conTRT vaccines. The white circles indicate the number of SFC per single mouse, the black circle indicates the geometric mean of SFC of the group.

- Figure 3 shows the tumour volume of a group of Balb/c mice vaccinated with the conTRT vaccine prior to the inoculation of tumour cells (prophylactic setting) compared to the tumour volume measured in the group of unvaccinated control mice.

- Figure 4 shows the number of PBMCs isolated from healthy dogs and secreting IFNy, determined by means of the ELISpot technique, after 16 hours of stimulation with pools A, B, C and D of 15-mer peptides and overlapping by 11 amino acid residues both of the hTERT protein and of the dTERT protein. The graph shows the specific immune response for dog and human telomerase measured in the group of dogs vaccinated with 5 mg of DNA 4 weeks after the last vaccination.

- Figure 5 shows the number of PBMCs isolated from dogs with lymphoma and secreting IFNy, determined by means of the ELISpot technique, after 16 hours of stimulation with pools A, B, C and D of 15-mer peptides and overlapping by 11 amino acid residues both of the hTERT protein and of the dTERT protein. The graph shows the specific immune response for dog and human telomerase measured in the group of dogs vaccinated with 5 mg of DNA 4 weeks after the last vaccination.

EXAMPLE 1. Design of the consensus sequence of the antigen telomerase and of the nucleotide sequence encoding said consensus sequence and in vivo study on effectiveness in the preventive and therapeutic vaccination for telomerase-expressing tumours

Design of the optimised nucleotide sequence of dTERT and hTERT

The optimised cDNA encoding for the hTERT sequence (SEQ ID NO:7) is: atg ccg eg eg ctccccg ctg ccg ag ccg tg eg ctccctg ctg eg cag ccactaccg eg ag gtgctgccgctggccacgttcgtgcggcgcctggggccccagggctggcggctggtgcag cgcggg gacccggcggctttccgcgcgctggtggcccagtgcctggtgtgcgtgccctgggacgca cggccgc cccccgccgccccctccttccgccaggtgtcctgcctgaaggagctggtggcccgagtgc tgcagag gctgtgcgagcgcggcgcgaagaacgtgctggccttcggcttcgcgctgctggacggggc ccgcgg gg g cccccccg agg ccttcaccaccag eg tg eg cag ctacctg cccaacacggtgaccg aeg cac tgcgggggagcggggcgtgggggctgctgctgcgccgcgtgggcgacgacgtgctggttc acctgct ggcacgctgcgcgctctttgtgctggtggctcccagctgcgcctaccaggtgtgcgggcc gccgctgta ccagctcggcgctgccactcaggcccggcccccgccacacgctagtggaccccgaaggcg tctgg gatgcgaacgggcctggaaccatagcgtcagggaggccggggtccccctgggcctgccag ccccg ggtgcgaggaggcgcgggggcagtgccagccgaagtctgccgttgcccaagaggcccagg cgtg gcgctgcccctgagccggagcggacgcccgttgggcaggggtcctgggcccacccgggca ggac gcgtggaccgagtgaccgtggtttctgtgtggtgtcacctgccagacccgccgaagaagc cacctcttt ggagggtgcgctctctggcacgcgccactcccacccatccgtgggccgccagcaccacgc gggcc ccccatccacatcgcggccaccacgtccctgggacacgccttgtcccccggtgtacgccg agaccaa gcacttcctctactcctcaggcgacaaggagcagctgcggccctccttcctactcagctc tctgaggcc cagcctgactggcgctcggaggctcgtggagaccatctttctgggttccaggccctggat gccaggga ctccccgcaggttgccccgcctgccccagcgctactggcaaatgcggcccctgtttctgg agctgcttg ggaaccacgcgcagtgcccctacggggtgctcctcaagacgcactgcccgctgcgagctg cggtca ccccagcagccggtgtctgtgcccgggagaagccccagggctctgtggcggcccccgagg aggag gacacagacccccgtcgcctggtgcagctgctccgccagcacagcagcccctggcaggtg tacggc ttcgtgcgggcctgcctgcgccggctggtgcccccaggcctctggggctccaggcacaac gaacgcc gcttcctcaggaacaccaagaagttcatctccctggggaagcatgccaagctctcgctgc aggagctg acgtggaagatgagcgtgcgggactgcgcttggctgcgcaggagcccaggggttggctgt gttccgg ccgcagagcaccgtctgcgtgaggagatcctggccaagttcctgcactggctgatgagtg tgtacgtc gtcgagctgctcaggtctttcttttatgtcacggagaccacgtttcaaaagaacaggctc tttttctaccgg aagagtgtctggagcaagttgcaaagcattggaatcagacagcacttgaagagggtgcag ctgcgg gagctgtcggaagcagaggtcaggcagcatcgggaagccaggcccgccctgctgacgtcc agact ccgcttcatccccaagcctgacgggctgcggccgattgtgaacatggactacgtcgtggg agccaga acgttccgcagagaaaagagggccgagcgtctcacctcgagggtgaaggcactgttcagc gtgctc aactacgagcgggcgcggcgccccggcctcctgggcgcctctgtgctgggcctggacgat atccac agggcctggcgcaccttcgtgctgcgtgtgcgggcccaggacccgccgcctgagctgtac tttgtcaa ggtggatgtgacgggcgcgtacgacaccatcccccaggacaggctcacggaggtcatcgc cagcat catcaaaccccagaacacgtactgcgtgcgtcggtatgccgtggtccagaaggccgccca tgggca cgtccgcaaggccttcaagagccacgtctctaccttgacagacctccagccgtacatgcg acagttcg tggctcacctgcaggagaccagcccgctgagggatgccgtcgtcatcgagcagagctcct ccctgaa tgaggccagcagtggcctcttcgacgtcttcctacgcttcatgtgccaccacgccgtgcg catcagggg caagtcctacgtccagtgccaggggatcccgcagggctccatcctctccacgctgctctg cagcctgtg ctacggcgacatggagaacaagctgtttgcggggattcggcgggacgggctgctcctgcg tttggtgg atgatttcttgttggtgacacctcacctcacccacgcgaaaaccttcctcaggaccctgg tccgaggtgt ccctgagtatggctgcgtggtgaacttgcggaagacagtggtgaacttccctgtagaaga cgaggccc tgggtggcacggcttttgttcagatgccggcccacggcctattcccctggtgcggcctgc tgctggatac ccggaccctggaggtgcagagcgactactccagctatgcccggacctccatcagagccag tctcacc ttcaaccgcggcttcaaggctgggaggaacatgcgtcgcaaactctttggggtcttgcgg ctgaagtgt cacagcctgtttctggatttgcaggtgaacagcctccagacggtgtgcaccaacatctac aagatcctc ctgctgcaggcgtacaggtttcacgcatgtgtgctgcagctcccatttcatcagcaagtt tggaagaacc ccacatttttcctg eg eg teatetetg acacg g cctccctctg ctactccatcctg aaag ccaag aacg c agggatgtcgctgggggccaagggcgccgccggccctctgccctccgaggccgtgcagtg gctgtg ccaccaagcattcctgctcaagctgactcgacaccgtgtcacctacgtgccactcctggg gtcactcag gacagcccagacgcagctgagtcggaagctcccggggacgacgctgactgccctggaggc cgca g ccaacccg g cactg ccctcag acttcaag accatcctg g actg a

The optimised eDNA encoding for the dTERT sequence (SEQ ID NO:8) is: atggacgccatgaagaggggcctgtgctgcgtgctgctgctgtgcggagccgtgttcgtg ag ccccagcgagatccccagagcccccagatgtagggccgtgagggccctgctgaggggcag ataca gagaggtgctgcccctggccaccttcctgagaaggctgggccctcctggcagactgctgg tccgcag aggcgatcctgccgcctttagagccctggtggcccagtgcctggtctgtgtgccttgggg agccagacc tcctcctgccgccccttgcttcaggcaggtgtcctgcctgaaagaactggtggccagggt ggtgcagag actgtgcgagaggggcgccagaaacgtgctggccttcggctttgccctgctggatggcgc tagaggc gg ccctcctg tgg ccttcaccacctccg tg eg g ag ctacctg cccaacaccg tg accg ag accctg a gaggaagcggagcctggggcctgctgctgagaagagtgggcgacgacgtgctgacccacc tgctg gccagatgcgccctgtacctgctggtcgcccctagctgtgcctaccaggtctgcggccct cccctgtatg acctgtgcgcccctgcctctctgcctctgcctgcccctggactgcctggcctgccagggc tgcctggact gggagctggcgctggcgcctctgccgacctgagacccaccagacaggcccagaacagcgg cgcc agaagaagaagaggcagccccggaagcggcgtgcctctggccaagaggcctcggagaagc gtg g cctctg ag cccg aaag ag g eg cccacag aag cttccccag ag cccag cag cctcctg tg tetg ag gcccctgccgtgacacctgccgtggccgcctctcctgctgcttcttgggagggcggacct cctggaacc agacccaccacccccgcctggcacccttatcctggccctcagggcgtgcctcacgatcct gcccacc ccgagaccaagcggttcctgtactgcagcggcggcagagagaggctgaggcccagcttcc tgctgtc tgccctgcctcctaccctgagcggagcccggaaactggtggagaccatcttcctgggcag cgctcctc agaagcctggcgccgctcggagaatgcggaggctgcccgccagatactggcggatgcggc ccctgt tccaggaactgctgggcaaccacgccagatgcccctacagggccctgctgaggacccact gccctct gagggccatggccgccaaagagggcagcggcaaccaggcccacagaggcgtgggcatctg ccc cctggaaagacccgtggccgctccccaggaacagaccgacagcaccaggctggtgcagct gctga gacagcacagcagcccctggcaggtgtacgccttcctgagggcctgcctgtgttggctgg tgcctacc ggcctgtggggcagcaggcacaaccagaggcggtttctgaggaacgtgaagaagttcatc agcctg ggcaagcacgccaagctgtccctgcaggaactgacctggaagatgaaagtgcgggactgc acctg gctgcacggcaatcctggcgcctgttgtgtgcctgccgccgagcacaggcggagggaaga gatcct ggcccggttcctggtgctggtcgatggccacatctacgtggtgaagctgctgcggagctt cttctacgtg accgagaccaccttccagaaaaataggctgttcttctaccggaagagcgtgtggagccag ctgcaga gcatcggcatcaggcagctgttcaacagcgtgcacctgagagagctgtccgaggccgaag tgaggc ggcacagagaggccagacccgccctgctgaccagcaggctgagattcctgcccaagccca gcgg cctgaggcccatcgtgaacatggactacatcatgggcgccaggaccttccacagggacaa gaaggt gcagcacctgaccagccagctgaaaaccctgttcagcgtgctgaactacgagagggccag aaggc ctagcctgctgggcgccagcatgctgggcatggacgacatccacagggcctggcggacct tcgtgct gaggatcagggcccagaaccctgccccccagctgtacttcgtgaaggtggccatcaccgg cgccta cgacgccctgcctcaggacagactggtggaggtgatcgccaacgtgatcaggccccagga aagca cctactgcgtcaggcactacgccgtggtgcagagaaccgccaggggccacgtgaggaagg ccttca agaggcacgtgagcaccttcgccgacctgcagccctacatgaggcagttcgtggagaggc tgcagg agaccagcctgctgagggatgccgtggtgatcgagcagagcagcagcctgaacgaggccg gcag ctccctgttccacctgtttctgaggctggtgcacaaccacgtggtgcggatcggcggcaa gagctacat ccagtgccagggcgtgcctcagggcagcatcctgagcaccctgctgtgcagcctgtgcta cggcgac atggaaaggcggctgttccctggcatcgagcaggacggcgtgctgctgagactggtggac gacttcct gctggtgacccctcatctgacccaggcccaggccttcctgagaaccctggtgaagggcgt gcccgag tacggctgcagggccaacctgcagaaaaccgccgtgaacttccctgtggaggacggcgct ctggga tctgctgcccctctgcagctgcctgcccactgcctgttcccttggtgcggcctgctgctg gacaccagga ccctg g aag tg ag ctg eg actacag cag etaeg cccacaccag catcag g g ccag cctg accttca gccagggcgccaagcccggcaggaacatgcggaggaagctgctggccgtgctgaggctga agtg ctgcgccctgttcctggacctgcaggtcaacggcatccacaccgtgtacatgaacgtgta caaaatctt cctgctgcaggcctacaggttccacgcctgcgtgctgcagctgcccttcaaccagcccgt gaggaag aaccccagcttcttcctgagggtgatcgccgacaccgccagctgctgctacagcctgctg aaggcca gaaatgccggcctgtctctgggagccaagggcgccagcggcctgtttcctagcgaggccg ccagatg gctgtgcctgcacgcctttctgctgaagctggcccaccacagcggcacctacagatgcct gctgggag ccctgcaggccgccaaagcccacctgagcaggcagctgcctagaggaacactggccgccc tgga ag ccg ccg ctg accctag cctg accg ccg acttcaag accatcctg g ac

Design of the optimised nucleotide sequence of CaHu and

HuCa.

The design of the optimised cDNA encoding for the chimeric CaHu sequence was created on the basis of the dTERT and hTERT sequences, both submitted to the NCBI database with accession numbers NM_001031630.1 and NM_198253.3, respectively.

The optimised cDNA encoding for the CaHu sequence (SEQ ID NO:5) is: atgggctggtcctgtattattctgtttctggtcgccaccgctaccggagtccatagtcct agagcaccccg ctgtcgcgccgtgagggccctgctgagaggcaggtaccgcgaggtgctgccactggctac ctttctgc ggagactgggaccacctggcaggctgctggtgaggcgaggcgaccctgcagctttccgcg ccctggt ggctcagtgcctggtgtgcgtgccttggggagcaaggccaccacctgcagcaccatgctt tcgacagg tgagctgtctgaaggagctggtcgcacgagtggtccagcgactgtgcgaaaggggcgctc gcaacgt gctggcattcggctttgccctgctggatggagctcgaggaggaccaccagtggccttcac caccagcg tgcggagctacctgcccaatactgtgaccgagacactgaggggatccggagcatggggac tgctgct gcgacgagtgggggacgatgtcctgacacacctgctggcacgctgcgccctgtatctgct ggtggctc cctcatgcgcataccaggtctgtggccctccactgtatgacctgtgcgcacctgccagcc tgcccctgc ctgccccagggctgcctggactgccaggactgccaggactgggagctggagcaggggcct cagctg atctgcgacctacccggcaggctcagaacagcggagcaagaaggcgccgaggaagtccag gatc aggagtgcctctggcaaagaggccacggagaagcgtcgcatccgagccagaacgaggagc tcac cggagcttccctagggcacagcagccacctgtgagtgaggcacctgcagtgactccagca gtcgctg caagtcctgcagcttcatgggaaggaggaccaccaggaacccgacctactaccccagctt ggcatc cataccctggaccacagggagtgccacacgaccctgcccatccagagaccaagcggtttc tgtattg cagcgggggacgagaacggctgagaccaagcttcctgctgtccgccctgcctccaacact gagtgg ggctagaaaactggtggagactatctttctgggatcagctccacagaagcctggagcagc aaggcg aatgcgacggctgcctgccaggtactggaggatgcgcccactgttccaggagctgctggg aaacca eg ctcg atg cccctatcg ag cactg ctg eg g acacattg tcctctg eg gg caatgg ctg caaag g aag ggagtggaaatcaggcacaccgaggagtgggaatctgccccctggagagacctgtcgcag ctcca caggaacagaccgacagcacacgactggtgcagctgctgcgccagcatagctccccatgg caggt gtacgcctttctgagagcttgcctgtgctggctggtgccaaccggactgtgggggtccag gcacaacc agagaaggtttctgcgcaatgtgaagaaattcatctccctgggcaagcatgccaaactgt ctctgcagg agctgacctggaagatgaaagtgagggactgtacatggctgcacggaaacccaggagctt gctgcg tgcctgcagcagaacatcgccgacgggaggaaatcctggccagatttctggtgctggtcg atggaca catctacgtggtcaaactgctgaggtctttcttttatgtgaccgagacaactttccagaa gaataggctgtt cttttatcgcaagagcgtgtggagtaaactgcagtctatcggcattagacagcacctgaa aagagtgc agctgagggagctgagtgaggccgaagtcagacagcatagggaagctcgccctgcactgc tgaca agccgactgcggttcatccccaagcctgacgggctgcgcccaattgtgaacatggattac gtggtcgg agcacggacctttagaagggagaaacgagccgaacggctgacatcaagagtgaaggctct gttca gcgtcctgaattatgagagggcacgccgacccggactgctgggagcctctgtgctggggc tggacga catccacagagcttggaggacctttgtgctgagagtcagggcacaggacccccctccaga gctgtact tcgtgaaggtcgcaatcaccggagcctatgacacaattccacaggatcgcctgactgaag tgattgcc agcatcatcaagccccagaatacctactgcgtgcggagatatgcagtggtccagaaggct gcacac ggccatgtgcggaaggcctttaaatcacacgtcagcactctgaccgatctgcagccttac atgcgcca gttcgtggctcatctgcaggagacttctccactgcgggacgcagtggtcatcgagcagtc tagttcactg aacgaagctagctccgggctgttcgacgtgttcctgaggttcatgtgccaccatgccgtg cgcattcga ggaaaatcctacgtccagtgtcagggaatcccacagggctccattctgtctaccctgctg tgctctctgtg ctatggcgacatggagaataagctgtttgcaggcatcaggcgagatggactgctgctgag actggtgg acgattttctgctggtcaccccccacctgacacatgccaaaactttcctgcgcaccctgg tgcgaggag tccctgaatacggctgcgtggtcaacctgaggaagacagtggtcaatttcccagtggagg acgaagc cctgggaggaactgcttttgtccagatgccagcacacggactgttcccatggtgtggact gctgctgga cacacgcactctggaggtgcagagcgattactctagttatgcccggacatctatcagagc tagtctgac ttttaaccgggggttcaaggccggaagaaatatgcgacggaaactgtttggcgtgctgcg gctgaagt gccatagtctgttcctggacctgcaggtgaactcactgcagactgtctgtaccaatatct acaaaattctg ctgctgcaggcatatagatttcacgcctgcgtgctgcagctgccattccatcagcaggtc tggaagaac cccactttctttctgagagtgatcagcgataccgctagcctgtgctactccattctgaag gccaaaaatgc tggaatgtccctgggagcaaaaggagcagctggaccactgccatctgaggctgtgcagtg gctgtgc caccaggcattcctgctgaagctgactcggcatagagtgacctatgtcccactgctggga agcctgcg g acag cccag actcag ctg tccag aaag ctg ccag g aaccacactg accg ccctg g aag cag cc g ctaacccag ctctg cccag eg actttaaaacaatcctg g at

The following CaHu amino acid sequence (SEQ ID N0:2) was obtained from the fusion (Figures 1 -3): MPRAPRCRAVRALLRGRYREVLPLATFLRRLGPPGRLLVRRGDPAAFRA LVAQCLVCVPWGARPPPAAPCFRQVSCLKELVARVVQRLCERGARNVL AFGFALLDGARGGPPVAFTTSVRSYLPNTVTETLRGSGAWGLLLRRVGD DVLTHLLARCALYLLVAPSCAYQVCGPPLYDLCAPASLPLPAPGLPGLPG LPGLGAGAGASADLRPTRQAQNSGARRRRGSPGSGVPLAKRPRRSVA SEPERGAHRSFPRAQQPPVSEAPAVTPAVAASPAASWEGGPPGTRPTT PAWHPYPGPQGVPHDPAHPETKRFLYCSGGRERLRPSFLLSALPPTLS GARKLVETIFLGSAPQKPGAARRMRRLPARYWRMRPLFQELLGNHARC PYRALLRTHCPLRAMAAKEGSGNQAHRGVGICPLERPVAAPQEQTDST RLVQLLRQHSSPWQVYAFLRACLCWLVPTGLWGSRHNQRRFLRNVKK FISLGKHAKLSLQELTWKMKVRDCTWLHGNPGACCVPAAEHRRREEILA RFLVLVDGHIYVVKLLRSFFYVTETTFQKNRLFFYRKSVWSQLQSIGIRQL FNSVHLRELSEAEVRRHREARPALLTSRLRFLPKPSGLRPIVNMDYIMGA RTFHRDKKVQHLTSQLKTLFSVLNYERARRPSLLGASMLGMDDIHRAWR TFVLRIRAQNPAPQLYFVKVAITGAYDTIPQDRLTEVIASIIKPQNTYCVRR YAVVQKAAHGHVRKAFKSHVSTLTDLQPYMRQFVAHLQETSPLRDAVVI EQSSSLNEASSGLFDVFLRFMCHHAVRIRGKSYVQCQGIPQGSILSTLLC SLCYGDMENKLFAGIRRDGLLLRLVDDFLLVTPHLTHAKTFLRTLVRGVP EYGCVVNLRKTVVNFPVEDEALGGTAFVQMPAHGLFPWCGLLLDTRTL EVQSDYSSYARTSIRASLTFNRGFKAGRNMRRKLFGVLRLKCHSLFLDL QVNSLQTVCTNIYKILLLQAYRFHACVLQLPFHQQVWKNPTFFLRVISDT ASLCYSILKAKNAGMSLGAKGAAGPLPSEAVQWLCHQAFLLKLTRHRVT YVPLLGSLRTAQTQLSRKLPGTTLTALEAAANPALPSDFKTILD The design of the optimised cDNA encoding for the chimeric HuCa sequence was created on the basis of the hTERT and dTERT sequences, both submitted to the NCBI database with accession numbers NM_1 98253.3 and NM_001031630.1 , respectively. The optimised cDNA encoding for the sequence HuCa (SEQ ID

NO:6) is: atgggatggtcttgtattattctgttcctggtcgccactgccaccggggtccacagccct agagcacctag atgtagagccgtgagaagtctgctgcgctcacactaccgagaggtgctgcctctggccac attcgtccg gagactgggaccacagggatggcgactggtgcagagaggcgatccagcagcttttagagc tctggt cgcacagtgcctggtgtgcgtgccatgggacgcacgaccacctccagcagcccctagctt ccggcag gtgtcctgcctgaaagaactggtggcaagggtcctgcagcggctgtgcgagcgaggagct aagaac gtgctggcattcggatttgcactgctggatggagcacgaggaggaccacctgaggccttt accacaag cgtgcggtcctatctgcccaatacagtcactgacgctctgagaggcagcggagcatgggg actgctg ctgaggcgagtgggcgacgatgtgctggtccacctgctggcacgatgcgctctgttcgtg ctggtcgct ccttcctgcgcataccaggtgtgcggaccaccactgtatcagctgggagctgcaacccag gcaagac ctccaccacacgctagtggacctcgacggagactgggatgtgaaagggcttggaaccatt cagtgcg cgaggcaggagtcccactgggactgccagcacctggagcaaggcgccgaggaggaagtgc ctca cgaagcctgccactgccaaagcgaccacgaagaggagcagctcctgaaccagagaggact cccg tgggacagggatcctgggcacacccaggaaggacccgcggaccctcagatagaggcttct gcgtg gtcagccctgctaggccagcagaggaagccactagtctggagggcgccctgtcagggacc agaca ctctcatcccagtgtgggcaggcagcaccatgctgggcctccatccacatctcggccccc tagaccat gggatactccctgtccacccgtgtacgccgaaaccaaacatttcctgtatagctccggcg acaaggag cagctgcgcccaagttttctgctgtctagtctgcgaccatcactgaccggagcaaggcgc ctggtggaa acaatcttcctgggaagcaggccctggatgcctggaactccacgacggctgccacgactg cctcaga gatactggcagatgcgccctctgtttctggagctgctgggaaaccacgcacagtgcccat atggagtg ctg ctg aaaacacattg tcccctg agg g cag cag tg actcctg ctg cag g eg tctg eg cacg ag ag a agccacagggaagcgtggcagctccagaggaagaggacaccgatcctagaaggctggtgc agct gctgaggcagcactcaagcccttggcaggtgtacggattcgtccgcgcatgtctgcgccg actggtgc ctccaggactgtggggaagccgccacaacgaacggagattcctgcgaaataccaagaagt tcatct ccctggggaagcatgccaaactgtctctgcaggagctgacatggaaaatgtcagtgaggg actgcgc ttggctgaggcgcagccctggagtgggatgcgtgccagcagcagagcaccgactgcgaga agaga ttctggccaagttcctgcattggctgatgagcgtgtacgtggtcgaactgctgcgctcct tcttttatgtcac cgagactacctttcagaagaacagactgttcttttataggaaatcagtgtggagccagct gcagagcat cggcattagacagctgttcaatagcgtgcacctgagggaactgtccgaagcagaggtccg acggcat agggaggctcgaccagcactgctgaccagccggctgaggtttctgcccaaacctagtgga ctgagg cccatcgtgaacatggattacattatgggcgccaggactttccaccgcgacaagaaagtg cagcatct gacctctcagctgaagacactgtttagtgtgctgaattatgagcgagcaagaaggccctc tctgctggg agctagtatgctggggatggacgacatccaccgagcatggcggaccttcgtgctgcgcat tcgagcc cagaacccagctccccagctgtactttgtgaaggtcgccatcacaggagcctatgacgct ctgccaca ggataggctggtggaagtcatcgccaatgtgattcgaccacaggagtccacctactgcgt ccggcatt atgcagtggtccagagaacagccaggggccacgtgcgcaaggctttcaaacgacacgtga gcacc ttcg ccg acctg cag ccatacatg eg g cag tttg tgg aaag actg cagg ag accag cctg ctg eg ag acgcagtggtcattgaacagtcctctagtctgaacgaggctggctcaagcctgttccacc tgtttctgcgc ctggtgcacaatcatgtggtccggatcgggggaaagagttacattcagtgtcagggagtg ccccagg gctccatcctgtctaccctgctgtgctccctgtgctatggcgatatggaacgccgactgt tccccggaatt gagcaggacggcgtgctgctgcgactggtggacgatttcctgctggtgactcctcatctg acccaggcc caggcttttctgcggacactggtgaaaggggtccccgaatacggatgcagagctaacctg cagaaga ctgcagtgaatttccctgtcgaggacggggccctgggatctgctgcacctctgcagctgc cagctcact gcctgtttccatggtgtggcctgctgctggatacccggacactggaggtgagctgtgact actcctcttat gcccatacaagcatcagagcttccctgactttctctcagggggccaagcccggaagaaac atgcgga gaaaactgctggcagtgctgaggctgaagtgctgtgccctgtttctggatctgcaggtga acggcatcc acaccgtgtacatgaatgtctataaaattttcctgctgcaggcataccggtttcatgcct gcgtgctgcag ctg cccttcaaccag cctg tcag aaag aatcctag cttctttctg ag ag tg ateg cag acacag ccag tt gctgttattcactgctgaaagctagaaatgcaggactgtccctgggagcaaagggagctt caggactg ttcccaagcgaagccgctaggtggctgtgcctgcacgcatttctgctgaaactggcccac catagcgg aacttaccgatgtctgctgggcgctctgcaggcagccaaggcacatctgtcccgacagct gccacga gg g accctgg ctg cactgg ag g cag ctg cag acccttctctg actg ccg atttcaaaaccatcctg g a c

The following HuCa amino acid sequence (SEQ ID NO:3) was obtained from the fusion (figures 1 -3):

PRAPRCRAVRSLLRSHYREVLPLATFVRRLGPQGWRLVQRGDPA AFRALVAQCLVCVPWDARPPPAAPSFRQVSCLKELVARVLQRLCERGA KNVLAFGFALLDGARGGPPEAFTTSVRSYLPNTVTDALRGSGAWGLLLR RVGDDVLVHLLARCALFVLVAPSCAYQVCGPPLYQLGAATQARPPPHAS GPRRRLGCERAWNHSVREAGVPLGLPAPGARRRGGSASRSLPLPKRP RRGAAPEPERTPVGQGSWAHPGRTRGPSDRGFCVVSPARPAEEATSL EGALSGTRHSHPSVGRQHHAGPPSTSRPPRPWDTPCPPVYAETKHFLY SSGDKEQLRPSFLLSSLRPSLTGARRLVETIFLGSRPWMPGTPRRLPRL PQRYWQMRPLFLELLGNHAQCPYGVLLKTHCPLRAAVTPAAGVCAREK PQGSVAAPEEEDTDPRRLVQLLRQHSSPWQVYGFVRACLRRLVPPGL WGSRHNERRFLRNTKKFISLGKHAKLSLQELTWKMSVRDCAWLRRSPG VGCVPAAEHRLREEILAKFLHWLMSVYVVELLRSFFYVTETTFQKNRLFF YRKSVWSKLQSIGIRQHLKRVQLRELSEAEVRQHREARPALLTSRLRFIP KPDGLRPIVNMDYVVGARTFRREKRAERLTSRVKALFSVLNYERARRPG

LLGASVLGLDDIHRAWRTFVLRVRAQDPPPELYFVKVAITGAYDALPQDR

LVEVIANVIRPQESTYCVRHYAVVQRTARGHVRKAFKRHVSTFADLQPY

MRQFVERLQETSLLRDAVVIEQSSSLNEAGSSLFHLFLRLVHNHVVRIGG

KSYIQCQGVPQGSILSTLLCSLCYGDMERRLFPGIEQDGVLLRLVDDFLL

VTPHLTQAQAFLRTLVKGVPEYGCRANLQKTAVNFPVEDGALGSAAPLQ

LPAHCLFPWCGLLLDTRTLEVSCDYSSYAHTSIRASLTFSQGAKPGRNM

RRKLLAVLRLKCCALFLDLQVNGIHTVYMNVYKIFLLQAYRFHACVLQLPF

NQPVRKNPSFFLRVIADTASCCYSLLKARNAGLSLGAKGASGLFPSEAA

RWLCLHAFLLKLAHHSGTYRCLLGALQAAKAHLSRQLPRGTLAALEAAA

DPSLTADFKTILD

The cDNA encoding for these sequences was optimised for codon usage. The cDNA optimisation consists in replacing the original codons with nucleotide triplets recognised by the tRNAs which are most frequent and efficient in the cells of the organism of interest. For this purpose use was made of an algorithm (GeneOptimizer, Thermofisher) that allows the cDNA of interest to be designed so as to increase the levels of expression in cells of the species in which it is desired to use the antigen (Flomo Sapiens). Furthermore, any undesired restriction sites or splicing sites generated in silico by this operation were removed. The DNA was synthesised by Invitrogen GeneArt (Germany) and cloned in the pTK1A- TPA vector.

Design of the conTRT consensus sequence.

The design of the optimised cDNA encoding for the consensus sequence conTRT was created on the basis of the dTERT and hTERT sequences by means of a bioinformatic method, by overlapping the sequences of the dog and human epitopes differing by a single amino acid and optimised for binding with human FILAs.

Table 1 shows a list of the dTERT and hTERT epitopes differing by a single amino acid and optimised for human HLAs.

Table 1

The optimised cDNA encoding for the conTRT sequence (SEQ ID NO:4) is: atgggatggtcatgtattattctgttcctggtcgctaccgcaaccggagtgcatagtcca agag cccctagatgtcgagccgtgagggcactgctgcgcagccgataccgggaggtgctgcctc tggctac cttcctgcggagactgggaccacagggatggagactggtgaggcgaggggacccagcagc ttttag ggctctggtcgcacagtgcctggtgtgcgtgccatggggagcaagaccacctccagcagc cccttcat tcaggcaggtgagctgcctgaaagagctggtggctagggtcctgcagcggctgtgcgaac gaggag caaagaacgtgctggctttcgggtttgcactgctggacggagctagaggaggaccacctg tggccttc accaccagcgtgcggagctatctgcccaataccgtgacagatactctgcgaggatccgga gcatgg ggactgctgctgcgacgggtgggggacgatgtgctggtccacctgctggcacgatgcgct ctgttcctg ctggtggccccttcttgcgcttaccaggtctgtggaccacccctgtatcagctgggcgcc ccaacaagtc tgagacctccaccccctgcttcaccaccaagaaggcgcctgccaggactgagggcatgga accatg ccgtgcgcgacctgcgagtcactcgacagctgcagaatagcggagcacgacggagaaggg gatc cccaag ctcctctctg ccactg cctaag eg accacg ccg atetg tgg caag tg ag cctg aacg aacc ccagtcggacgaggagcttggagatcccctccaagaacaaggcagccatctgtgagtggc ttccca gtggtctctccagcagtcccagcaagccctgctacctcctgggagggagcaccatccgga acaaga ccatctactccagcatggggaaggcagcaccatgctggacccccttcaacaagcagatac ccaagg ccatggggagtgcctcacccaccagtccatccagagactaaacggttcctgtatagttca ggaggca aggaacgcctgcgaccctcttttctgctgagtgcactgcgaccttccctgtctggagcac gaaagctggt ggagactatcttcctgggaagccgcccttggatgccaggaaccccacggagactgaggcg cctgcct cagcggtactggcgaatgagaccactgtttcaggaactgctgggaaaccacgccaggtgc ccatatc gcgtgctgctgaaaacacattgtccactgcgggcaatggtgactcccgaggcctccgtca atcagag acacaagggagtgggaatttgcccacagggaagcgtggtcgcacctccacaggaacagac agact ccactcgcctggtgcagctgctgcgacagcatagctccccctggcaggtgtacgcttttc tgcgagcat gtctgcggtggctggtgcctacaggactgtggggaagccgccacaaccagcgacggttcc tgcgga acgtgaagaagttcatctctctgggcaagcatgccaaactgagtctgcaggagctgacct ggaagat gtccgtgcgcgattgcacatggctgagaaggtctccaggagtgggatgcgtgcctgctgc agaacac cgccgacgggaggaaattctggccaaattcctggtgtggctgatgagtcatatctacgtg gtcaagctg ctgcggtcattcttttatgtgaccgagactacctttcagaagaaccgactgttcttttat cggaaatcagtgt ggagccagctgcagtccatcggcattcgccagctgctgaacagcgtgcagctgcgagagc tgagtg aggcagaagtcagaaggcaccgcgaagcacgacctgccctgctgacttcaaggctgcgct tcatcc ctaaaccaagcggcctgaggccaattgtgaacatggactacatcatgggggctcgcacct tccgccg agataagaaagtgcagagactgacctcaaggctgaagacactgtttagcgtgctgaatta tgagaga gctcggagacctagtctgctgggagcatcaatgctgggcctggacgatattcaccgggca tggagaa ccttcgtgctgcgaatccgggcacagaacccacctccacagctgtactttgtgaaggtcg ccattactg gcgcttatgacaccatcccccaggataggctggtggaggtcatcgcctccatcatcaagc ctcaggaa tctacatactgcgtgaggcgctatgctgtggtccagaagactgcacgcgggcacgtgcga aaggcttt caaatcccatgtctctaccctgacagacctgcagccatacatgagacagtttgtggagag gctgcagg aaacaagccccctgcgcgatgcagtggtcattgagcagtctagttcactgaacgaagcta gctcctctc tgttccacctgtttctgcggctgatgcacaatcatgtggtcagaatcaggggcaaatctt acatccagtgt caggggattccccaaggaagtatcctgtcaaccctgctgtgcagcctgtgctatggggac atggagcg caagctgttccccgggatccgacgggatggactgctgctgcggctggtggacgatttcct gctggtcac ccctcacctgacacaggcccagacttttctgagaaccctggtgaaaggcgtcccagagta cgggtgc gtggtcaacctgaggaagactgtggtcaatttccccgtggaagacggggctctgggatcc accgcac cactgcagctgcctgcacatggactgtttccttggtgtggactgctgctggacactagaa ccctggaggt gagttcagattacagctcctatgcccggacttcaattagagctagcctgaccttctccag aggctttaag ccagggaggaacatgagaaggaaactgctggccgtgctgaggctgaagtgccacgctctg tttctgg acctgcaggtgaacagcatccagaccgtctacacaaatatctataaaattctgctgctgc aggcctac ag attccatg cttg eg tg ctg cag ctg cccttcaaccag cag g tctgg aag aatccctccttctttctg ag agtgatcgctgataccgcatctctgtgctatagtatcctgaaggccaaaaatgctggact gtctctggga gcaaaaggagcagctggaccactgcctagtgaggcagtgcggtggctgtgcctgcaggcc ttcctgc tgaagctgacaagacacagcgtgacttacgtcccactgctgggcgcactgaggactgccc agaccc ag ctg tccagg cag ctg cctcg cacaactctg acag ccctgg aag cag ccg ctaacccag cactg a ccg ccg acttcaaaacaattctg g at

The new conTRT amino acid consensus sequence (SEQ ID NO:1 )(Figures 1 -3) is:

MPRAPRCRAVRALLRSRYREVLPLATFLRRLGPQGWRLVRRGDP AAFRALVAQCLVCVPWGARPPPAAPSFRQVSCLKELVARVLQRLCERG AKNVLAFGFALLDGARGGPPVAFTTSVRSYLPNTVTDTLRGSGAWGLLL RRVGDDVLVHLLARCALFLLVAPSCAYQVCGPPLYQLGAPTSLRPPPPA SPPRRRLPGLRAWNHAVRDLRVTRQLQNSGARRRRGSPSSSLPLPKRP RRSVASEPERTPVGRGAWRSPPRTRQPSVSGFPVVSPAVPASPATSW EGAPSGTRPSTPAWGRQHHAGPPSTSRYPRPWGVPHPPVHPETKRFL YSSGGKERLRPSFLLSALRPSLSGARKLVETIFLGSRPWMPGTPRRLRR LPQRYWRMRPLFQELLGNHARCPYRVLLKTHCPLRAMVTPEASVNQRH KGVGICPQGSVVAPPQEQTDSTRLVQLLRQHSSPWQVYAFLRACLRWL VPTGLWGSRHNQRRFLRNVKKFISLGKHAKLSLQELTWKMSVRDCTWL RRSPGVGCVPAAEHRRREEILAKFLVWLMSHIYVVKLLRSFFYVTETTFQ KNRLFFYRKSVWSQLQSIGIRQLLNSVQLRELSEAEVRRHREARPALLTS RLRFIPKPSGLRPIVNMDYIMGARTFRRDKKVQRLTSRLKTLFSVLNYER ARRPSLLGASMLGLDDIHRAWRTFVLRIRAQNPPPQLYFVKVAITGAYDT IPQDRLVEVIASIIKPQESTYCVRRYAVVQKTARGHVRKAFKSHVSTLTDL QPYMRQFVERLQETSPLRDAVVIEQSSSLNEASSSLFHLFLRLMHNHVV RIRGKSYIQCQGIPQGSILSTLLCSLCYGDMERKLFPGIRRDGLLLRLVDD FLLVTPHLTQAQTFLRTLVKGVPEYGCVVNLRKTVVNFPVEDGALGSTA

PLQLPAHGLFPWCGLLLDTRTLEVSSDYSSYARTSIRASLTFSRGFKPGR

NMRRKLLAVLRLKCHALFLDLQVNSIQTVYTNIYKILLLQAYRFHACVLQL

PFNQQVWKNPSFFLRVIADTASLCYSILKAKNAGLSLGAKGAAGPLPSEA

VRWLCLQAFLLKLTRHSVTYVPLLGALRTAQTQLSRQLPRTTLTALEAAA

NPALTADFKTILD

Evaluation of the immunogenicity of the CaHu, HuCa and conTRT sequences.

For the purpose of evaluating the cell-mediated immune response induced by the CaFlu, FluCa and conTRT constructs, a genetic vaccination approach based on electroporation into the skeletal muscle (DNA-EP) of wild-type mice was adopted. This vaccination technique enables the use of laboratory-engineered constructs of different sizes and does not induce a neutralising response as in the case of viral vectors, thus making it possible to repeat the vaccinations a number of times. The immunisation protocol consisted in 4 injections, into the quadriceps of Balb/c mice, of 50pg of the pTK1 A-tPA-hTERT-LTB, pTK1 A-tPA-dTERT-LTB, pTK1A- CaHu-PFTG, pTK1 A-FluCa-PFTG and pTK1 A-conTRT-PFTG constructs, spaced apart from one another by 1 week. In detail, the vector used is the pTK1A vector. The pTK1A expression vector comprises the promoter and intron A from human cytomegalovirus (CMV), a polylinker site for the cloning and bovine growth hormone (bGH) as a polyA for the transcription termination.

Furthermore, the first two constructs pTK1 A-tPA-hTERT-LTB and pTK1 A-tPA-dTERT-LTB contain, in addition to the gene for human and dog telomerase, the leader sequence of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), a signal sequence that favours the secretion of the protein of interest, and the sequence of lymphotoxin beta (LTB), which increases the immune response to the vector. The leader sequence of tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) is

ATGGATGCAATGAAGAGAGGGCTCTGCTGTGTGCTGCTGCTGTGTG G AGCAGT CTT CGTTT CGCCCAGC (SEQ ID NO:27), which encodes for the amino acid sequence MDAMKRGLCCVLLLCGAVFVSPS (SEQ ID NO:28).

The other three constructs pTK1 A-CaHu-PFTG, pTK1A-HuCa- PFTG and pTK1 A-conTRT-PFTG comprise, in addition to the chimeric sequences CaFlu and FluCA or the TRT consensus sequence, the PFTG sequence, which increases the immune response to the vector.

The DNA was formulated in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) at a concentration of 1 mg/ml. DNA-EP was performed with a BTX 830 electroporator and flat electrodes with a distance of 0.5cm (BTX, Flarward apparatus), under the following electric conditions in the Low Voltage mode: 2 pulses of 60 msec at 100V, 250msec pause between pulses. In order to measure the immune response induced by the vaccine, the number of splenocytes (expressed as spot-forming cells, SFC per million) secreting IFNy was determined by means of the ELISpot technique, after 16 hours of stimulation with pools A, B, C and D of 15-mer peptides and overlapping by 11 amino acid residues both of the hTERT protein and of the dTERT protein. In particular, pool A comprises the amino acids 1-296; pool B comprises the amino acids 297-587; pool C comprises the amino acids 588-867; and pool D comprises the amino acids 868-1139. The splenocytes were isolated from wild-type mice vaccinated, by electroporation, with the hTERT, dTERT, CaFlu, FluCa and conTRT vaccines. As may be seen from Figure 2, the mice immunised with pTK1- hTERT responded to the vaccine (mean response of the group greater than 50 SFC) when stimulated with the pools of hTERT peptides (above all pools A and D), whilst the response to the pools of dTERT peptides was very low or absent. In contrast, the mice immunised with pTK1 -dTERT responded to the vaccine after stimulation with the dTERT pools (in particular pools A, C and D), but not with the hTERT pools. As regards the mice immunised with the pTK1 -CaFlu construct, a substantial response was observed only after stimulation with pool D of hTERT, whereas in the mice immunised with the pTK1 -FluCa construct, no response towards any pool of peptides was detected. Finally, splenocytes isolated from mice immunised with the pTK1-conTRT-PFTG construct showed a substantial response after stimulation both with pool A of hTERT peptides and with pools A and D of dTERT peptides. These results indicate that the construct with the conTRT consensus sequence is strongly immunogenic and capable of arousing new specificities against the antigen telomerase, of both the human type and canine type.

Evaluation of the antitumour effect of the conTRT sequence in mice with tumours.

For the purpose of evaluating the antitumour effect of the conTRT vaccine, Balb/c mice received three doses of the conTRT vaccine at two week intervals following a prophylactic vaccination protocol and were then injected with tumour cells of colon carcinoma (CT26) expressing human telomerase. As shown by figure 3, the vaccinated mice demonstrated less tumour growth compared to unvaccinated mice.

Evaluation of the immunogenicity of the conTRT sequence in healthy dogs and dogs with lymphoma.

For the purpose of determining the minimum immunogenic dose of the DNA produced, a clinical study was conducted on 9 healthy dogs of the beagle breed (6 males and 3 females reared and treated at Meditox cro- Czech Republic) vaccinated with a single intramuscular injection followed by electroporation with tapered doses of DNA, in particular 5 mg, 1 mg and 0.3 mg of plasmid DNA. The animals received three doses of vaccine every two weeks and peripheral blood samples were taken before every vaccination and at the end of the study (one month after the last dose of vaccine) in order to isolate the PBMCs (peripheral blood mononuclear cells). With the aim of identifying the minimal dose of DNA capable of inducing the maximum immune response specific for the consensus telomerase, the PBMCs were then analysed for the induction of an immune response by means of the ELISPOT assay, the immunological assay most widely used to evaluate vaccines in clinical studies in view of its high sensitivity. Briefly, the PBMCs were stimulated with different pools of immunogenic peptides, of both dog and human telomerase, and the production of IFNy was then measured in order to evaluate the T-cell mediated immune response specific for telomerase. Prior to the start of the clinical study, at time zero, the possible presence of a response against telomerase was measured by ELISPOT and none was detected in any of the dogs treated. After two doses of DNA, in the group of dogs vaccinated with the maximum dose of 5 mg of DNA, the immune response specific for dog telomerase (measured after stimulation of the PBMCs with the pools of dog telomerase peptides, A, B, C and D) and for human telomerase (measured after stimulation of the PBMCs with the pools of human telomerase peptides, A, B, C and D) was still very low, if not absent. In the groups vaccinated with 1 and 0.3 mg doses, no telomerase-specific response was detected. In contrast, as shown in figure 4, 4 weeks after the third and last vaccination dose, in the group of dogs vaccinated with the maximum dose of DNA (5 mg), a substantial response was measured, both towards the pools of dog telomerase and towards the pools of human telomerase, thus confirming the choice of that vaccination scheme as optimal for obtaining, after a 4-week period, a greater specific response, and demonstrating, in particular, the effectiveness of the genetic vaccine pTK1A-conTRT-PFTG in inducing a telomerase-specific immune response. Furthermore, a considerable immune response specific for the PFTG protein was also measured in the same group. In the group of dogs vaccinated with an intermediate dose (1 mg), the measured response was considerably lower, whilst no response was detected in the group of dogs vaccinated with the minimum dose (0.3 mg), thus suggesting that 5 mg represents the optimal dose for inducing an efficient immune response.

The same vaccination protocol was used in three dogs affected by lymphoma expressing dog telomerase (figure 5). Four weeks after the last vaccination PBMCs were isolated from peripheral blood and the telomerase-specific immune response was measured by measuring the cells secreting IFNy, after stimulation with the pools of dogTERT peptides. In particular, a substantial telomerase-specific response towards pool B of dogTERT was measured.

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