Pharmaceutical compositions comprising a stress protein complex and
related molecules encoding or cells presenting such a complex are provided. The
stress protein complex comprises an hsp110 or grp170 polypeptide complexed with
an immunogenic polypeptide. The immunogenic polypeptide of the stress protein complex
can be associated with a cancer or an infectious disease. The pharmaceutical compositions
of the invention can be administered to a subject, thereby providing methods for
inhibiting M. tuberculosis-infection, for inhibiting tumor growth, for inhibiting
the development of a cancer, and for the treatment or prevention of infectious
disease. The invention further provides a method for producing T cells directed
against a tumor cell or a M. tuberculosis-infected cell, wherein a T cell
is contacted with an APC that is modified to present an hsp110 or grp170 polypeptide
and an immunogenic polypeptide associated with a tumor or with the M. tuberculosis-infected
cell. Included in the invention are T cells produced by this method and a pharmaceutical
composition comprising such T cells. The T cells can be contacted with a M.
tuberculosis-infected cell in a method for killing a M. tuberculosis-infected
cell, or with a tumor cell in a method for killing a tumor cell.