Disclosed herein are nucleic acid-based vaccines against malaria and other conditions. A DNA construct comprising nucleic acid encoding one or more pathogen proteins, such as malaria parasite proteins, nucleic acid encoding a dendritic cell ligand, and a linker polynucleotide, is administered with an adjuvant and/or by electroporation to achieve in vivo results that are not achieved with the vaccine components alone. The vaccine can also be formulated using a fusion protein expressed by the disclosed nucleic acid, in combination with an adjuvant.
