[Production of a lymphocyte chemotactic factor by human renal cancer cells]

Tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) is commonly observed in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) tissues. First step of lymphocyte accumulation in cancerous tissues is the lymphocyte migration toward cancer cells. However, no conclusion has been drawn which cytokine is involved in TIL of RCC. The purpose of this study is the identification of a lymphocyte chemotactic factor (chemokine) produced by a newly established RCC cell line. A new human renal cancer cell line (TC-2) was established from a primary site of a 52-year-old man. A marked lymphocyte infiltration was noticed at the cancer tissue. A tissue culture has been continued for 24 months. Flow cytometric analysis of this cell line revealed DNA aneuploidy. A human karyotype, with a modal number of 72, and consistent abnormalities, such as 4q+ and 5q-, were demonstrated by Giemsa banding analysis. Approximately 2.9 fold of lymphocyte chemotactic activity was detected in the culture supernatant of TC-2 cells (TC-2CM) as measured by in vitro migration assay. Sixty percent of this activity was abrogated by adding the neutralizing antibody against interleukin-8 (IL-8) into TC-2CM. Analysis of surface markers of migrating lymphocytes disclosed that lymphocytes expressing CD3, CD8 and CD16 phenotype predominantly showed migration. These results suggested that chemotactic activity for lymphocytes derived from TC-2 cells was partly IL-8.