Induction of intercellular adhesion molecule 1 on small cell lung carcinoma cell lines by gamma-interferon enhances spontaneous and bispecific anti-CD3 x antitumor antibody-directed lymphokine activated killer cell cytotoxicity.

The interaction between LFA-1 and its natural ligand, ICAM-1, plays an important role in leukocyte adhesion and signal transduction. LFA-1-mediated T-cell adhesion is generally activated by CD3-mediated signal in association with T-cell receptor-mediated recognition of the antigen/major histocompatibility complex on antigen-presenting cells. In the present study, we compared spontaneous or bispecific antibody (BsAb)-directed LAK cell cytotoxicity against ICAM-1+ or ICAM-1- small cell lung cancer (SCLC) cell lines. gamma-Interferon (IFN-gamma)-induced ICAM-1 expression on ICAM-1- SCLC cell lines, and susceptibility to LAK cells was increased simultaneously. Increased cytolysis of the IFN-gamma-treated SCLC was inhibited by an anti-ICAM-1 monoclonal antibody (mAb). Furthermore, LAK cell cytotoxicity directed by BsAb, which was composed of OKT3 and anti-SCLC mAb, was also increased by the IFN-gamma treatment of SCLC, and this increase was inhibited by an anti-ICAM-1 mAb but not by anti-Class I or anti-CD2 mAb. These results suggest that a prior administration of IFN-gamma would enhance the efficacy of the following specific targeting therapy utilizing BsAb and LAK cells by up-regulating the ICAM-1 expression on tumor target cells. The combinational use of IFN-gamma and anti-CD3 x anti-tumor BsAb might be a promising way of enhancing LAK cell-mediated adoptive immunotherapy in small cell lung cancer patients.