Natural antibody to a human bladder carcinoma cell line

Sera from 144 healthy blood donors were screened for the presence of antibody against the bladder carcinoma cell line RT4 by means of an immune adherence assay. Only one serum (9241) demonstrated high activity with a titer of 1/124. Qualitative and quantitative absorption analyses were carried out with a wide variety of cells to characterize the specificity of the reaction. Cells used for absorption were both cultured and non-cultured and normal and malignant. The reactivity was absorbed by the bladder cancer cell lines RT4 and 5637 and the lung cancer cell line SK-LC-LL. In addition, surgically obtained urothelium from a patient with transitional cell carcinoma abrogated reactivity. No other absorbing cells removed the reactivity of serum 9241 for RT4. The antigen defined by this serologic reaction is heat-stable and trypsin-resistant, as demonstrated by using heated or trypsinized RT4 cells for absorption. This study shows that naturally occurring antibody directed toward cell surface antigens of tumor cells is present in some normal individuals. This finding is important in the evaluation of a possible causal relationship between the presence of antibody specific for tumor cell antigens and the development of neoplasia.