Heterogeneity of tumorigenicity phenotype in murine tumors. Characterization of tumor clones isolated from primary 3-methylcholanthrene-induced fibrosarcomas.
In this study we have characterized three series of clonal populations isolated from primary murine fibrosarcomas induced with three different doses of the chemical carcinogen, 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MCA). Clones were evaluated fro their in vivo growth rates after transplantation into normal syngeneic animals, and for immunological cross-protection toward clones derived from the same tumor. A pattern of reactivity emerged from these studies which supports, at the single-cell level, existing theories regarding the correlation between the inducing dose of chemical carcinogen and the antigenicity of the resulting tumors. Clones from tumors induced with 10 mg of 3-MCA were found to be less tumorigenic than clones from tumors induced with 5 mg of 3-MCA. The 5-mg clones were in turn less tumorigenic than the 1-mg clones, all of which grew rapidly in normal animals. Related clones from each tumor were found for the most part to be immunologically noncross-reactive with other clones from the same tumor, suggesting that subpopulations of tumor cells expressing different tumor-specific transplantation antigens (TSTAs) may reside within single primary tumors. We have used these observations to formulate an hypothesis for the origin of antigenic heterogeneity in 3-MCA-induced tumors and as the basis for a discussion of the relationship between cell transformation and the appearance at the cell surface of tumor-specific transplantation antigens.
D000818:Animals; D015478:Antigens, Heterophile / Q000276:immunology*; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000276:immunology*; D002469:Cell Separation; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000187:drug effects*; D002999:Clone Cells / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology; D004306:Dose-Response Relationship, Immunologic; D000939:Epitopes; D005260:Female; D005354:Fibrosarcoma / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000276:immunology*; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D008748:Methylcholanthrene; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D010641:Phenotype
D015478:Antigens, Heterophile; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D000939:Epitopes; D008748:Methylcholanthrene