Abstract: Disclosed are chemical agents for modulating certain cellular immune reactions that can lead to autoimmune disorders. By specific modulation, harmful immune reactions can be lessened in severity or even prevented without resorting to potentially dangerous general immune suppression. The described chemical agents inhibit IL-12 induction of the secretion of key immune modulators. The described chemical agents are specific inhibitors of IL-12 induced Th1 immune response.

Abstract: Disclosed are DNAs produced by recombinant techniques for inducing the expression and subsequent secretion of a target protein. The DNAs encode, in their 5' to 3' direction, a secretion cassette, including a signal sequence and an immunoglobulin Fc region, and a target protein. The DNAs can be transfected into a host cell for the expression, production and subsequent secretion of the target protein as a fusion protein. The secreted protein can be collected from the extracellular space, and further purified as desired. The secreted fusion protein additionally can be proteolytically cleaved to release the target protein from the secretion cassette.