Monoclonal antibodies to lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 inhibit invasion of human lymphoma and metastasis of murine lymphoma.

The leukocyte integrins are cell adhesion molecules which play pivotal roles in the development of a variety of immune responses including T-cell-mediated cytotoxicity, lymphocyte proliferation, macrophage presentation of antigen, and adhesion of leukocytes to vascular endothelium. The relevance of lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA-1) to leukocyte malignancies is currently under examination in a number of laboratories. Here, we present evidence demonstrating that LFA-1 plays a role during the in vitro invasion of human endothelium by JY lymphoma cells and during in vivo metastasis of two distinct models of murine leukemia: P815 mastocytoma and EL4 lymphoma. When assayed in vitro, a murine anti-human LFA-1 (alpha subunit) monoclonal antibody (mAb) inhibits up to 80% of JY lymphoma cell invasion. When assayed in vivo, a rat anti-LFA-1 (alpha subunit) mAb significantly inhibited the development of experimental metastases, when administered concomitantly with either P815 or EL4 tumor cells. The leukocyte integrins, particularly LFA-1, may represent useful targets for the therapeutic modulation of metastasis.