The subject invention provides a fusion protein for producing a dual immune response
in a vertebrate, which fusion protein comprises: (a) a first proteinaceous portion
analogous to all or part of a peptide endogenously synthesized within the vertebrate,
the activity of which peptide is to be inhibited within the vertebrate, and which
proteinaceous portion by itself is incapable of eliciting an effective immunoinhibitory
response in said vertebrate; connected to (b) a second proteinaceous portion analogous
to all or part of an immunogen from a pathogen, which pathogen is capable of pathogenically
infecting the vertebrate; the portion (b) causing the vertebrate's immune system
to recognize the portion (a) and produce a response that: (i) inhibits the activity
of the peptide endogenously synthesized within the vertebrate; and (ii) protects
the vertebrate from infection by the pathogen, when the vertebrate is vaccinated
with an effective amount of the fusion protein. The subject invention also provides
fusion proteins which comprise a proteinaceous portion (b) that is a carrier that
is analogous to all or part of a BHV-1 antigen, which fusion proteins induce in
a vertebrate vaccinated with an effective amount of such fusion protein an immune
response that inhibits the activity of a peptide as recited in (a), above.
