An aspect of the present invention is related to nucleic acid constructs capable of expressing a polypeptide, such as a consensus dengue prME that elicits an immune response in a mammal against more than one subtype of dengue virus, and methods of use thereof. Additionally, there are DNA plasmid vaccines capable of generating in a mammal an immune response against a plurality of dengue virus subtypes, comprising a DNA plasmid and a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient, and methods of use thereof. The DNA plasmid is capable of expressing a consensus dengue antigen in a cell of the mammal in a quantity effective to elicit an immune response in the mammal that is cross reactive against all 4 dengue subtypes.