Anti-tumor effect of splenocytes treated with RNA from animals immunized with bovine myelin basic protein.

Chemically and immunologically, myelin basic protein (MBP) is very similar with the basic protein extracted from animal and human tumors. The results of this study demonstrated that splenocytes from C57BL/6 mice bearing B16 melanoma cells are sensitized to MBP, suggesting that this protein may share common antigenic determinants with antigens from B16 melanoma cells. The RNA preparations isolated from lymphoid tissues of normal or immunized guinea pigs with bovine MBP are referred to as N-RNA or MBP-RNA, respectively. It was also found that MBP-RNA is active in transferring MBP reactivity to normal splenocytes whereas N-RNA had no effect. To investigate whether this transfer to MBP immunoreactivity could result in a protective immunity, C57BL/6 mice transplanted with B16 melanoma received normal splenocytes treated with N-RNA or MBP-RNA. Two weeks after injection of B16-F10 cells, the mice were sacrificed and the tumor of each animal was removed and weighed. A significant inhibition of B16 melanoma growth was only achieved in C57BL/6 mice treated by splenocytes incubated with MBP-RNA which acts as an anti-tumor RNA. In this context, MBP could be considered as a tumor antigen.