Antitumor immunity induced by hybrid murine tumor cells: requirements for optimal immunization.

Hybrid tumor cells have been evaluated for their ability to induce specific antitumor immunity in inbred female C3H/He mice challenged with the syngeneic BA tumor. Hybrid cells were produced by fusion of BA cells with a BALB/c renal adenocarcinoma, which is hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl transferase-deficient and grows well in culture. Corynebacterium parvum was evaluated as an adjuvant for BA and hybrid cells. The BA tumor was shown to be poorly immunogenic, and four weekly injections of BA cells alone or C. parvum alone did not confer significant immunity. When BA cells and C. parvum were mixed, survival time was prolonged and most mice remained tumor-free. Hybrid cell lines derived from the BA tumor were produced in culture in unlimited quantities and were successfully used as immunogens. The addition of C. parvum to hybrids gave a significant incremental increase in survival when compared to the survival resulting from immunization by hybrids without adjuvant. When hybrids without adjuvant were used, several weekly injections were required for effective immunization. Irradiated and unirradiated hybrids were compared, and it was found that irradiation did not diminish hybrid immunogenicity. The potential problems and advantages of this concept of therapy are discussed.