Sera from irradiated rats contain antibodies to a ubiquitous tumour-associated antigen

Female rats of the inbred strains BN/BiRij and WAG/Rij were irradiated with 30 kV X-rays, or 15 MeV or 0.5 MeV fast neutrons. Sera were collected several months after irradiation and found to be negative for antibodies reacting with the murine mammary tumour virus as tested by a solid-phase radioimmunoassay and an immunofluorescence absorption test. We found, however, that in an immunofluorescence assay several sera from irradiated rats reacted with a cytoplasmic antigen in rat mammary, ureter and skin carcinoma cell lines as well as a mouse mammary tumour and a transformed BALB/3T3 mouse fibroblast line. No reaction was found with normal fibroblast cell lines of rat or murine origin. Endpoint titres of the sera on tumour cells ranged from 1:20 to 1:160. Of 48 sera from unirradiated rats 18 also stained tumour cells, but usually at the low dilution of 1:10. Irradiation seems to enhance antibody activity to a ubiquitous tumour-associated antigen.