Intensity of class I antigen expression on human tumour cell lines and its relevance to the efficiency of non-MHC-restricted killing.
A modified tetrazolium reduction assay (MTT) was used to assess the relation between HLA class I antigen expression on tumour cells and their susceptibility as a target for non-MHC restricted LAK/NK cytotoxicity using interleukin-2 activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (MNC) from normal individuals. At 20/1 effector/target ratio this ranged from no killing to 77%. The efficiency of killing was dependent on duration of effector cell culture with IL-2, peaking at day 10 and declining thereafter. This killing could be enhanced by addition of other cytokines including interferons alpha, beta and gamma. Study of a panel of 15 tumour cell lines using a single effector showed that there was no statistically significant inverse correlation (using Spearman rank test) between the degree of tumour class I expression and LAK/NK killing at 20/1 (r = 0.23 P = 0.39) and 10/1 (r = 0.30, P = 0.27) and at 5/1 E/T ratio r = 0.47, P = 0.08) respectively. Lack of inverse correlation between these two parameters came from study of one bladder tumour line (FEN), whose absent class I antigens had been corrected by transfection with beta 2 microglobulin gene. At high E/T ratio (20/1) there was an increase in the susceptibility of target cells to lysis (36% parent cell, 45% transfected cell), whilst at lower E/T ratios (1/1) there was significantly more killing of the non-transfected cells (10% vs 31%). The addition of anti-class I antibody W6/32 increased killing by 18% but this was non-specific as the same increase occurred with a class II antibody. These data suggest that overall there was not an inverse correlation between class I expression and LAK/NK killing at high E/T ratios, whilst at low (5/1 or lower) E/T ratios this correlation nearly reached statistical significance suggesting that the conflicting literature reports may be due to a threshold levels of effector cells above which the masking effects of MHC antigens disappears.
Department of Medical Oncology, Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel, UK.
A M
AM
Nouri
R F
RF
Hussain
A V
AV
Dos Santos
M
M
Mansouri
R T
RT
Oliver
D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000502:physiology*; D016923:Cell Death / Q000502:physiology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000494:pharmacology; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000494:pharmacology; D015979:Killer Cells, Lymphokine-Activated / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D008285:Major Histocompatibility Complex / Q000502:physiology*; D009374:Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D013268:Stimulation, Chemical; D013778:Tetrazolium Salts; D013844:Thiazoles; D014162:Transfection; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D016207:Cytokines; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; D007376:Interleukin-2; D013778:Tetrazolium Salts; D013844:Thiazoles; C022616:thiazolyl blue