An immunoregulatory factor associated with spleen cells from tumor-bearing animals. I. Effect on tumor growth and antibody production.

An immunopotentiating factor associated with spleen cells of C57BL/6J mice bearing the 3LL tumor is described. Supernatants of cultured spleen cells from tumor-bearing mice (TBM) augmented the generation of both 19S and 7S antibody-producing cells, when injected with sheep erythrocytes into syngeneic C57BL/6J mice. The enhancing supernatant acted both as a polyclonal activator, when injected in the absence of antigen, and as a potentiator of specific antigen-dependent humoral immune responses, when injected in the presence of antigen. It was found to augment induction of specific memory, but not memory expression. Concomitantly with their influence on humoral immune responses, TBM spleen cell supernatants enhanced tumor growth when injected, mixed with 3LL tumor cells, into syngeneic recipients. The secretion of a factor which augments antibody production was not confined to the 3LL tumor system. Spleen supernatants of C47BL mice carrying the B16 melanoma and those of C3H mice carrying the KHT sarcoma had a similar effect on antibody production. These findings suggest that an immunoregulatory factor(s) appears in spleen cells of TBM as a result of their interaction with the neoplastic tissue. This factor can potentiate production of antibodies, possibly also against tumor-associated antigens. The relevance of the immunopotentiating effects of such factor(s) to tumor growth is discussed.