Metabolic requirements for hormone-induced resistance to antibody-complement mediated killing of tumor cells.

Line-1 guinea pig hepatoma cells are susceptible to killing by anti-Forssman IgM antibody plus guinea pig complement (GPC). When these tumor cells are incubated with insulin, epinephrine, hydrocortisone, or prednisolone, the cells show a marked reduction in their susceptibility to antibody-C-killing. If the ability of the cells to synthesize DNA, RNA, and protein is impaired by pretreatment with metabolic inhibitors, x-irradiation, or culture in nutrient-deficient media, the hormones are no longer effective in rendering the cells resistant to killing. If only DNA synthesis is impaired, but not RNA and protein synthesis, the hormones are effective. The inability of cells inhibited in their macromolecular synthesis to be rendered resistant to killing after hormone treatment is not due to an inability of the cells to bind hormone.