Expression of histocompatibility (HLA) antigens on tumor cells and normal cells from patients with melanoma.

The expression of HLA antigens and beta2-microglobulin (beta2-mu) on cultured melanoma cells originated from 11 patients has been quantitated and compared with that on fibroblasts and cultured human lymphoid cells originated from the same patients. No qualitative or quantitative difference was detected with the exception of one melanoma line. HLA antigens were also quantitated in sera from melanoma patients: two sera reacted with anti-HLA-B7 antibodies although this specificity was not expressed on lymphocytes from whom the sera were obtained. A technique to quantitate HLA antigens on cells developed in the course of this study is described.