Transplantable Marek's disease lymphomas. II. Variable tumor immunity induced by different lymphoblastoid cells.

The effectiveness of cells from 6 different Marek's disease (MD) lymphoblastoid cell lines to induce immunity to syngeneic transplantable MD lymphomas was investigated in 2 related inbred lines of White Leghorn chickens (lines G-B1 and G-B2) that have different major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genotypes. Cells from 2 line G-B1 lymphomas (MDCT-NYM1 and MDCT-UG1) and 1 line G-B2 lymphoma (MDCT-UG2) were used for challenge. Three of the lymphoblastoid cell lines tested were developed from these lymphomas. Growth of palpable lymphomas was lowest among G-B2 chickens immunized with syngeneic lymphoblastoid cells. Protection against the early lethal effects of the highly virulent transplantable lymphomas was greatest in both lines of chickens when the lymphoblastoid cells were syngeneic with the hosts. Lymphoblastoid cells of unknown MHC type either failed to induce immunity to the lymphomas in both lines or protected some line G-B2 chickens challenged with syngeneic MDCT-UG2 lymphoma cells.