Antibody-induced modulation of H-2Kb antigens on mouse tumor cells in vitro

Modulation of H-2Kb antigens on cells of a subline of the murine Lewis lung carcinoma was induced in vitro by a monoclonal antibody with specificity for H-2Kb antigens. High antibody concentrations resulted in a more spherical morphology of the cells, in a discrete loss of all antibody-antigen complexes within 4-6 hr, and in a corresponding maximal decrease in the total cellular antigen content 6-8 hr after antibody exposure. Restoration was complete within 2 hr after removal of the complexed antigen and occurred without any visible cap formation.