Effects of sera from tumor-bearing mice on mitogen and allogeneic cell stimulation of normal lymphoid cells.

The mitogens concanavalin A (Con A) and bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulated normal spleen cells of DBA/2J, CBA/J, and BALB/c mice about equally in the presence of either isologous or homologous serum. This system revealed that sera from mice with five different methylcholanthrene-induced rhabdomyosarcomas inhibited mitogen stimulation of normal spleen cells. Sera from mice with a mammaryadenocarcinoma and spontaneous rhabdomyosarcoma were similarly suppressive. In contrast, sera from mice with melanoma were not inhibitory and often enhanced stimulation. Sera from tumor-bearing animals had the same effects both qualitatively and quantitatively on cells from the strain carrying the tumor and on cells from the other two strains. The mixed lymphocyte response of CBA/J times BALB/c spleen cells was affected exactly as were the responses to mitogen by the various sera. Stimulation by mitogen of mouse lymph-node cells and spleen cells with macrophages removed, as well as that of guinea pig spleen cells, was also inhibited by sera from mice with rhabdomyosarcoma and mammary adenocarcinoma.