HLA-A, B, C and DR alloantigen expression on forty-six cultured human tumor cell lines.

Forty-six cultured cell lines of diverse human tumor origins, including 25 melanoma cell lines, were HLA allotyped with the use of a modified eosin complement-dependent cytotoxicity test in combination with absorption and two-color fluorescence techniques. In 10 cases (1 renal cell carcinoma line and 9 melanoma cell lines), the cell line donors had been HLA typed a few years before the cell line-typing project had started and in 13 cases (1 renal cell carcinoma line and 12 melanoma cell lines), the cell line donors were currently available for comparative typing of lymphocytes. HLA-typing results suggested that most cell lines expressed genetically appropriate HLA antigens, although 1 cell line had more than two HLA antigens for one HLA locus and 2 cell lines lacked expression of one or more HLA antigens in comparison with donor typing. One hepatoma cell line, 1 of 2 of the bladder carcinoma cell lines tested, and 17 of the 25 melanoma cell lines expressed DR alloantigens in addition to their HLA-A, B, and C locus antigens. For 9 of the melanoma cell lines, comparisons with donor DR alloantigens could be made, and all these cell lines had exactly the same DR allospecificities as those found on donor B-lymphocytes. HLA typing of cell lines can be used as an adjunct to polymorphic isoenzyme marker tests to verify their patient source and lack of contamination by another cell line, and HLA typing should be used to determine the antigen composition of cells used in the preparation of reagents for immunotherapy or in studies of tumor-specific immunity.