CD8+ T cells are crucial for the ability of congenic normal mice to reject highly immunogenic sarcomas induced in nude mice with 3-methylcholanthrene.
An attempt was made to identify the selection pressures put upon a growing tumour by CD8+ T cells. To this end tumours induced with 3-methylcholanthrene in T cell-deficient nude mice and in congenic T cell-competent nu/+ mice were transplanted to nu/+ recipients. The rejection rate of the sarcomas from nude mice was almost twice that of the sarcomas from nu/+ mice. Depletion of CD8+ T cells from nu/+ recipients prior to transplantation made them accept nude tumours that were consistently rejected by untreated nu/+ recipients. These findings suggest that a methylcholanthrene sarcoma during its growth in a T cell-competent host adapts to the T cell system through a selective elimination of highly immunogenic tumour cells that are susceptible to CD8+ T cell-mediated lysis.
Institute for Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
M
M
Boesen
I M
IM
Svane
A M
AM
Engel
J
J
Rygaard
A R
AR
Thomsen
O
O
Werdelin
D000818:Animals; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D002273:Carcinogens; D005260:Female; D005354:Fibrosarcoma / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000276:immunology*; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000276:immunology*; D006579:Heterozygote; D007157:Immunologic Surveillance; D008748:Methylcholanthrene; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008819:Mice, Nude; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation / Q000276:immunology*; D012513:Sarcoma, Experimental / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000276:immunology*
D002273:Carcinogens; D008748:Methylcholanthrene