Complexity of factors in sera of different mice that affect MTV-induced mammary tumor cells.

Specific spleen cell activity in microcytotoxicity assay can be altered by pretreatment of target mammary tumor virus (MTV)-induced mammary tumor cells with serum. Serum from both BALB/cfC3H females neonatally infected with MTV and BALB/c females horizontally exposed to MTV antigens will block specific spleen cell activity against isologous mammary tumor cells. On fractionation of sera, blocking factors are localized in the 7s fraction. The 19s fraction contains recruiting factors that are not detectable in the unfractionated serum; these factors are active against isologous tumors and are thus distinct from the tumor-specific recruiting factors previously described in the sera of tumor-bearing females, which are active only against the autologous tumor. Antibodies mediating complement-dependent cell lysis are also detectable after serum fractionation.