[Time pressure, inadequate wages, fear of unemployment. When work causes illness]. / Termindruck, mangelnde Honorierung, Angst vor Arbeitslosigkeit. Wenn Arbeit krank macht.

Changing demands made by the workplace may be associated with psychomental and socioemotional stresses. Underlying reasons involve work organization and specific work content, as also social relationships at the workplace, the remuneration situation, and the risks related to the occupational biography of the individual. Changes in the workplace-related risks necessitate further investigations into the work and performance process relevant to the individual case.

In situ activation of syngeneic tumour-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes: intra-pinna immunization followed by restimulation in the peritoneal cavity.

Tumour-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) are usually obtained after immunization in vivo and restimulation of immune cells in vitro. We here describe the generation of syngeneic tumour-specific CTL within no more than 9 days by priming and restimulation in vivo. This is achieved only if the correct sites are used both for primary immunization (ear pinna) and for restimulation (peritoneal cavity). The kinetics of immune T cell induction and of the secondary response in vivo will be reported. While a secondary CTL response could be generated in the peritoneal cavity, this was not possible in the spleen, no matter which routes of antigen restimulation were used. Upon transfer of immune spleen cells into the peritoneal cavity but not into the spleen, a secondary response could be generated upon in situ restimulation, indicating the importance of the correct microenvironment for this type of response. The peritoneal effector cells were true T cells and recognized a tumour-associated antigen in association with the Kd major histocompatibility (MHC class I) antigen. Finally the activated tumour-specific peritoneal exudate cells were able to transfer protective immunity without exogenous interleukin-2 into normal syngeneic mice.

Effects of mutagens on the immunogenicity of murine tumor cells: immunological and biochemical evidence for altered cell surface antigens.

Eb lymphoma cells were subjected to treatment in vitro with the alkylating mutagen N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) and then cloned by limiting dilution. When tested in vivo for tumorigenicity in groups of syngeneic DBA/2 mice, 6 from 18 clones were found to be strongly reduced (tum- phenotype). The other clones showed only moderate or no change in tumorigenicity compared to the untreated control. All clones were able to grow in 400-rad-irradiated mice. Mice in which MNNG clones had regressed were able to generate tumor-specific cytolytic T-lymphocytes in vitro. Limiting dilution analysis indicated that 3 of 4 MNNG clones analyzed in detail displayed additional antigenic determinants that were detected by cytolytic T-lymphocytes. These data thus provided evidence for increased immunogenicity of some of the MNNG clones. Membrane proteins of MNNG clones and original Eb cells were compared biochemically after metabolic labeling with [35S]methionine, TX114 solubilization, and electrophoretic separation. Two-dimensional gel maps revealed a general quantitative decrease in the expression of membrane proteins in MNNG clones. In addition, several proteins were only found in MNNG clones but not in untreated cells. Two membrane proteins of molecular weight 22,000 and 38,000 were greatly increased in expression in all MNNG clones but could be detected at a low level in the original Eb cells. MNNG is known to be a strong mutagenic agent, but it can also interfere with DNA methylation and cause transcriptional activation of genes. We suggest that amplified cell surface structures may be the consequence of such transcriptional activation and could be involved in altered immunogenicity.

Resistance of metastatic tumor variants to tumor-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocytes not due to defects in expression of restricting major histocompatibility complex molecules in murine cells.

Metastases of ESb lymphoma cells in syngeneic DBA/2 animals frequently are selectively immunoresistant to lysis by syngeneic cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTL). This immunoresistance of tumor cells to CTL lysis could be due to a defect in either of two structures: (a) tumor-associated transplantation antigens; or (b) mouse major histocompatibility complex (H-2) antigens serving as restricting elements. In this study, we have analyzed the possible involvement of major histocompatibility complex Class I antigens in the immunoresistance of ESb tumor variant cells. Syngeneic anti-ESb CTL appeared to be H-2Kd restricted since only antibodies to Kd but not D,Ld molecules could inhibit CTL lysis. Comparison of H-2 antigens expressed on immunosensitive and resistant ESb sublines by immunofluorescence and flow cytofluorography, alloreactive CTL, two-dimensional gel analysis did not reveal any differences either qualitatively or quantitatively. Southern blotting of tumor-derived DNA with H-2-specific probes did not reveal differences either. Serologically detectable cell surface differentiation antigens were expressed very similarly on immunosensitive and resistant tumor lines, and only minor differences were noted by biochemical analysis of plasma membrane proteins. C-Type viral Mr 70,000 glycoprotein antigens were also similar in both types of cells. We conclude that cell surface changes on immunoresistant ESb variant cells are very selective and involve only CTL-defined tumor-associated transplantation antigen determinants.