Abstract: The present invention relates to nucleotide sequences which encode polypeptides of antibodies against the p53 protein in vertebrates, and to the polypeptides and antibodies (or fragments thereof) encoded by those nucleotide sequences. The invention also relates to nucleotide sequences and polypeptide sequences for use in the development of diagnostic and therapeutic compositions, and to methods of using those diagnostic and therpeutic compositions in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and other disease states which exhibit abnormalities of p53.

Abstract: The present invention relates to idiotypic vaccine compositions for use in inducing immunity to p53. The invention preferably relates to a vaccine composition comprising a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier and at least one peptide, wherein the at least one peptide is selected from the group consisting of X1-LLQALKH-Y1, X2-FIRKAYGAATAYAASKKG-Y2 and X3-MQGLQTPYT-Y3 in which X1, X2, X3, Y1, Y2 and Y3 are independently either absent or an amino acid sequence of preferably less than 10 amino acids which provides a framework for the specified peptide.