Refractoriness of lymph-node cells from tumour-bearing animals

In vitro lymphocyte stimulation by mitomycin-C-blocked tumor cells has been used to demonstrate tumor-specific antigens in syngeneic murine systems and to follow the evolution of tumor immunity with the tumor-bearing state. Mitomycin-blocked tumor cells stimulated syngeneic lymphocytes from normal mice, from those bearing small tumors (less than 1 cm in diameter) and from tumor-immune mice, sensitized by tumor-cell inoculation and subsequent tumor removal, to undergo increased DNA synthesis as measured by the incorporation of tritiated thymidine. However, lymph-node cells from mice bearing tumors over 1 cm in diameter appeared to be maximally stimulated in vivo and incapable of further stimulation by the same tumor cells in vitro. This was reflected by the progressively increasing background levels of nucleic acid synthesis with the length of tumor-bearing and the size of the tumor. Although lymph-node cells from mice with large tumors did not respond to the same tumor cells in vitro, they did have normal responses to PHA. Within 7-14 days of surgical removal of the tumor, specific lymphocyte responsiveness and background activity returned to previous normal levels, but reinoculation with 10-6 tumor cells resulted in progressive tumor growth and loss of specific in vitro responsiveness when the second tumor had reached the critical size of 1 cm in diameter. Brief exposure of tumor-immune lymph-node cells to a soluble antigen extract of the same tumor resulted in a marked increase in DNA synthetic activity compared to that obtained after exposure to a different tumor extract, muscle extract or medium alone underwent stimulation when cultured with mitomycin-blocked tumor cells. However, normally responsive tumor-immune lymph-node cells, after brief exposure to a soluble antigen extract of the same tumor, initially underwent increased DNA synthesis, but were incapable of further stimulation by mitomycin-blocked tumor cells. Tumor antigen, alone or complexed with antibody, was also demonstrated in the sera of mice bearing large tumors and is thought to be responsible for the refractoriness of lymph-node cells from these mice to further stimulation in vitro. These experiments demonstrate that tumor size and the consequent antigen load to which the tumor-bearing animals is subjected have a profound effect on tumor-specific lymphocyte responsiveness.