Anti-idiotype vaccine against Hodgkin's lymphoma: induction of B- and T-cell immunity across species barriers against CD30 antigen by murine monoclonal internal image antibodies.

Murine monoclonal antibody HRS-4 (Ab1), which defines the cell-bound and soluble CD30 antigen associated with Hodgkin's lymphoma, was used to generate monoclonal anti-idiotypic antibodies (Ab2) in syngeneic BALB/c mice. Murine monoclonal Ab2 14G9 and Ab2 9G10 directed against HRS-4 were shown to be anti-idiotypic Ab2 beta carrying the internal image of the CD30 antigen. These antibodies bound specifically to HRS-4 and effectively inhibited binding of HRS-4 to a CD30 antigen preparation at concentrations as low as 50 ng/ml. KLH-coupled Ab2 beta 14G9 and 9G10 induced in BALB/c mice and New Zealand white rabbits a specific polyclonal humoral response against the 120 kDa band of the CD30 antigen. Moreover, BALB/c mice immunized i.p. with KLH-coupled 14G9 and 9G10 exhibited a statistically significant (p less than 0.01) delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction against CD30 expressing Hodgkin-derived L540-cells. We conclude from these data that Ab2 beta 14G9 and 9G10, mimicking structures of the nominal CD30 antigen, are capable of inducing a CD30-specific T-cell- and B-cell-mediated immune response in mice and even across species barriers in rabbits. These CD30 anti-id antibodies may hold promise for use as vaccines against CD30-antigen-expressing lymphomas.