Isolation and characterization of a tumor cell surface antigen from spontaneously transformed BALB/c mouse fibroblasts.

This work describes the detection, isolation, and partial characterization of a BALB/c mouse fibroblast cell surface antigen. This antigen migrates as a polypeptide of approximately 100,000 daltons in a discontinuous sodium dodecyl sulfate/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis system, can be labeled by either lactoperoxidase-catalyzed cell surface 125I iodination or metabolic incorporation of [3H]glucosamine, and can be isolated by concanavalin A affinity chromatography. This cell surface glycoprotein is antigenic in BALB/c mice and has been correlated with the rejection of immunogenic tumor cells. Also, antiserum specific for Moloney leukemia virus precipitates the 100,000-dalton cell surface protein from viral and immunogenic spontaneous transformants. This virus-related antigen comigrates on sodium dodecyl sulfate gels with the major iodinated cell surface protein of these transformants. Rabbit antiserum to the purified antigen demonstrates a marked preference for the surfaces of immunogenic tumor cells as compared with normal cells and nonimmunogenic tumor cells.

Chemical and immunological studies of cell surfaces from normal and transformed cells.

Immunological and chemical studies of cell surfaces from normal and transformed BALB/c fibroblasts have shown alterations associated with transformation. The cells studied include normal lines which do not cause tumors when injected into BALB/c mice, viral transformants, and spontaneous transformants which cause tumors that either regress or grow progressively, killing the host. The spontaneously transformed progressors include cell lines which are immunogenic and nonimmunogenic as determined by the ability of tumor excision to protect an animal from subsequent rechallenge by tumor cells. Tumor-bearing mice produce lymphocytes which are nonspecifically cytotoxic for all the normal and transformed lines. Some of the cell lines induce specific antibody formation in BALB/hosts. Antisera have been prepared in rabbits which are specific for the transformed cell lines. These antisera can be used to determine specific surface changes on the transformed cells. Chemical studies have shown glycolipid alterations between the normal cells and some, but not all, of the transformants. Glycoproteins labeled by lactoperoxidase-125I or [3H] glucosamine were compared by SDS gel electrophoresis. Results from these studies do not show changes associated with malignancy. Individual glycoprotein regions from gels were treated with pronase, and the glycopeptides compared by Sephadex G50 chromatography. Alterations in glycopeptides from several cellular glycoproteins are the only changes which appear to be associated with malignancy.