Macrophage functions in beige (Chédiak-Higashi syndrome) mice

Beige (C57BL/6J-bgj/bgj) mice are the murine counterpart of the Chédiak-Higashi syndrome, exhibiting abnormal lysosomes in phagocytes. These mice, however, responded normally to Corynebacterium parvum killed bacterial vaccine with splenomegaly and an increase in peritoneal macrophages. The C. parvum-elicited macrophages showed normal immunoglobulin G Fc- and C3b-mediated rosettes and phagocytosis. The antitumor action of the macrophages was assessed against the Lewis lung carcinoma, a tumor that is sensitive to inhibition by activated macrophages both in vitro and in vivo. The elicited macrophages from beige mice showed delays in vitro in cytostatic and cytotoxic activity against the tumor cells, as compared with C57BL/6J-+/+ control mice. The early delays in activity disappeared after 12 to 24 hr, when antitumor activity was similar to that exhibited by C. parvum-elicited macrophages of the C57BL/6J-+/+ mice. These delays in antitumor activity of beige mouse macrophages may be analogous to the delays observed in the bactericidal activity of beige mouse granulocytes. The ultimate antitumor activity, however, was comparable in beige and +/+ C. parvum-elicited macrophage. Moreover, the resistance of mice in vivo to the Lewis lung tumor was not markedly impaired. The growth of the primary tumors and the mean times to death of the tumor-bearing animals of both strains were similar.