Host response to tumor-associated fetal antigens: kinetics and components.
Using a colony-inhibition bioassay that measures the contribution of the host response in transplantation immunity to tumor-associated fetal antigens (TAFA), I evaluated the occurrence of TAFA during different developmental stages of murine fetal liver cells. A maximum concentration of TAFA was present at approximately 15 days' gestation. A similar age-equivalence phase of gestation was also found in pig fetal liver. Host-response kinetics to TAFA were examined, and results indicated a similar pattern of activity for tumor- or fetal-immunized groups with a transient immune suppression in the middle of the study period. I detected specific antibodies generated by tumor and fetal cell immunization by a complement-dependent serum microcytotoxicity assay. The specificity of the reaction was evaluated further by absorption studies that demonstrated specific cross-reactive antibodies to fetal and tumor cell targets. Adoptive transplanted immunity to TAFA was indirectly evaluated by a modified Winn assay which indicated that a cellular immune mechanism was an important component of the host response to TAFA.
D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D003165:Complement System Proteins; D003429:Cross Reactions; D003601:Cytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic; D000939:Epitopes; D005333:Fetus / Q000276:immunology*; D005865:Gestational Age; D007109:Immunity; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007112:Immunity, Maternally-Acquired; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D009374:Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000276:immunology; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous; D014185:Transplantation, Isogeneic
D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D000939:Epitopes; D003165:Complement System Proteins