title: Rejection of tumors in mice with severe combined immunodeficiency syndrome determined by the major histocompatibility complex. Class I expression on the graft.
abstract: This study addresses the role of MHC class I molecules in the rejection of tumor grafts by SCID mice. Tumor cell lines, their corresponding MHC class I transfectants, and MHC class I-deficient mutants were inoculated to SCID mice. This allowed a study of tumor rejection responses in an environment with normal numbers of natural killer cells but largely devoid of functional T and B cells. C.B-17 (H-2d) SCID mice were found to reject low (10(2)) but not high (10(4)) doses of allogeneic (H-2b) tumor cells. The introduction of H-2Dd into such allogeneic tumor cells abrogated the rejection response with progressive tumor growth as a consequence. Introduction of H-2Kd or Ld had no or only marginal effects. The protective ability of H-2Dd was mapped to the alpha 1/alpha 2 domains of the molecule. H-2Dd protected allogeneic tumors from rejection also in C3H SCID mice of the H-2k haplotype, demonstrating that this ability was not dependent on H-2Dd expression in the host. Expression of endogenous H-2Kb and/or Db molecules partially protected wild-type allogeneic tumor cells from rejection since mutant allogeneic cells, devoid of class I expression, were rejected even after high-dose inoculation. Introduction of either allogeneic or xenogeneic class I molecules did not lead to rejection of otherwise MHC class I syngeneic (H-2d) tumor cells. The observed tumor cell rejection in SCID mice was dependent on natural killer cells. After depletion of asialo-GM1+ cells, all inoculated tumor cell lines grew progressively, independently of MHC class I expression. These results are compatible with a model where expression of certain, but not all, class I molecules protect from natural killer cell-mediated rejection. There was no evidence for rejection occurring as a consequence of the expression of allogeneic or xenogeneic class I molecules on the grafted cells. MHC class I expression may thus influence tumor cell recognition in mice lacking T-cell receptor expression.
authors.affiliation: Microbiology and Tumor Biology Center, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Glas
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Waldenström
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Höglund
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kärre
authors.forename: H G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Ljunggren
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D005677:G(M1) Ganglioside / Q000494:pharmacology; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000276:immunology*; D015789:HLA-A2 Antigen / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D016513:Mice, SCID; D009154:Mutation; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D009374:Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000276:immunology*; D016511:Severe Combined Immunodeficiency / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D014162:Transfection; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D015789:HLA-A2 Antigen; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; D005677:G(M1) Ganglioside; C018835:asialo GM1 ganglioside