Examination of general and tumor-specific cell-mediated immune responses in mice bearing progressively growing plasmacytomas
Padarathsingh, M.L.; Mccoy, J.L.; Dean, J.H.; Lewis, D.D.; Northing, J.W.; Law, L.W.
Journal of the National Cancer Institute 58(6): 1701-1707
1977
ISSN/ISBN: 0027-8874 PMID: 301196 Document Number: 111140
General and tumor-specific cell-mediated immunity was investigated in BALB/c mice bearing progressively growing mineral oil-induced plasmacytoma ADJ-PC5 which possesses tumor-associated antigens (TAA). Lymphocyte blastogenesis (LB) assays demonstrated that the levels of blastogenesis to T -cell mitogens in spleen cells of tumor-bearing mice were severely depressed in early and late stages of tumor growth. Total eradication of the palpable tumor after chemotherapy with aniline mustard resulted in recovery of the general T and B cell immunocompetence. Spleen cells from mice bearing medium-sized to large (15-30 mm in diameter) subcutaneous ADJ-PC5 tumors, shown to be generally depressed to mitogens by LB assays, retained strong tumor-specific neutralizing immunity in Winn assays against ADJ-PC5 tumor cells. Specificity of the ADJ-PC5-directed immunity was confirmed by the failure of ADJ-PC5-immune spleen cells to neutralize a Moloney virus-induced leukemia (LSTRA) or a SV-40 induced fibrosarcoma (mKSA). Established specific immunity against TAA of mKSA was not interrupted by progressive growth of ADJ-PC5 tumors in mKSA-immune mice. Specific cell-mediated immunity against TAA of ADJ-PC5 or another tumor (mKSA) was intact in animals bearing progressively growing ADJ-PC5 tumors, even though their spleen cell populations (T and B) demonstrated severely depressed lymphoproliferative responses to T and B cell mitogens.