Selective immunosuppressive action of a factor produced by colon cancer cells.

A soluble substance (HT29 factor) produced by HT29 colon cancer cells markedly suppresses mitogen-induced T-cell proliferation and interleukin-2 production. In this study the range of T-cell functions susceptible to the inhibitory effects of the HT29 factor was evaluated. Serum-free conditioned medium was collected from confluent cultures of HT29 cancer cells, concentrated, and subjected to gel filtration chromatography and anion exchange chromatography, resulting in 24.4-fold purification of the HT29 factor with 31% yield. This factor abolished the development of lymphokine-activated killer cells when present during activation of peripheral blood lymphocytes by interleukin-2 but did not affect the lysis of target cells by normal effectors when added in the lysis stage only. The HT29 factor did not affect the generation of concanavalin A-induced suppressor lymphocytes, even though it markedly inhibited synthesis of DNA, RNA, and protein as well as expression of the CD25 (Tac) antigen during mitogen activation of T-cells. The HT29 factor itself did not induce suppressor cells. These results indicate that the immunosuppressive action of the HT29 factor is selective.