In vitro immunization against human tumor cells with tumor cell fractions.

Tumor cell fractions isolated from tumor lines SH-3 (breast carcinoma) and RPMI-7932 (malignant melanoma) by differential centrifugations were capable of transforming lymphocytes into cytotoxic effector cells. Lymphocytes cultured alone in human AB plasma did not become cytotoxic to tumor cells. However, when cultured with tumor cell fractions sedimented at 1000 X g(R1), 20,000 X g(R2), and 100,000 X g(R3), these lymphocytes became markedly cytotoxic to specific tumor targets in a 3.5-hr (51)Cr release assay. R2 fractions were significantly more immunogenic than were R3 fractions (p less than 0.05). Although lymphocytes sensitized with SH-3 tumor cell fractions were cytotoxic to SH-3 tumor cells, they were also cytotoxic to cells from RPMI-7932 and RPMI-8322 (malignant melanoma) tumor lines and vice versa. Cells from tumor lines HT-29 (colon carcinoma) and COLO 110 (ovary carcinoma) were significantly less susceptible to lysis by effector cells generated against SH-3. These immune cells, although capable of killing cells from tumor lines, were not able to lyse cells from autochthonous normal lymphoid lines or normal lymphocytes that have been transformed by phytohemagglutinin. Tumor cell fractions were not immunogenic at low (5- to 20-mul/0.75 ml) concentrations; an increase of 4- to 10- fold in their concentrations was usually followed by a decrease in immunization.