Correlation between lipid synthesis in tumor cells and their sensitivity to humoral immune attack.

Prolonged incubation of two antigenically distinct, chemically induced guinea pig hepatomas with relatively high concentrations of chemotherapeutic drugs or metabolic inhibitors increases their susceptibility to killing by antibody and complement. This effect is reversible when the cells are cultured in the absence of the drugs. The drug-induced sensitivity and the ability of the cells to recover their resistance to killing are directly correlated to their ability to synthesize complex lipids.