Xenogenization of a mouse lung carcinoma (3LL) by transfection with an allogeneic class I major histocompatibility complex gene (H-2Ld).

We investigated the tumorigenicity and immunogenicity of tumor cells transfected with an allogeneic class I major histocompatibility complex gene. A single clone (3LL/3) from a Lewis lung carcinoma in the C57BL/6 strain (H-2b) was cotransfected with a BALB/c genomic clone containing an H-2Ld gene and a bacterial neo gene conferring resistance to G418. Three Ld-positive, three Ld-negative, and two Neor clones were selected by means of a 125I-protein A binding assay using an anti-H-2Ld monoclonal antibody. The antigenic expression of the H-2Ld gene products was only 20-40% on the Ld-positive clones compared with Meth-A tumor cells of BALB/c mice. The 50% lethal tumor dose of these clones in C57BL/6 mice was 5.6 X 10(6) in the Ld-positive clones, but only 1.3 X 10(5) in the 3LL/3 parent clone, 1.2 X 10(5) in the Neor clones, and 2.2 X 10(5) in the Ld-negative clones. The tumorigenicity of the Ld-positive clones was, therefore, reduced to less than 1/40 of that of the parent tumor cells. The decreased tumorigenicity of the Ld-positive clones was abrogated in mice irradiated with 600 rads. After inoculation and spontaneous regression of the viable Ld-positive clone cells, the mice acquired transplantation resistance against the challenge of a parental 3LL/3 tumor. However, the immunogenicity variation between Ld-positive, Ld-negative, Neor, and 3LL/3 parent clones showed no statistical difference. These results indicate that tumor cells transfected with an allogeneic class I H-2 gene can express an H-2 foreign antigen, can regress in syngeneic hosts, and can induce antitumor transplantation resistance against the original tumors, although they are not able to enhance their immunogenicity.