Reduced tumorigenicity of murine tumor cells secreting gamma-interferon is due to nonspecific host responses and is unrelated to class I major histocompatibility complex expression.

Spontaneous SP1 murine adenocarcinoma cells transfected with the murine gamma-interferon (IFN-gamma) gene expressed IFN-gamma (SP1/IFN-gamma) failed to grow in syngeneic hosts and grew in nude mice. The rejection of SP1/IFN-gamma cells was related to the amount of IFN-gamma produced and appeared to be mediated primarily by nonspecific cellular mechanisms, although some role for T-cells in the afferent arm of this response is possible. SP1 cells are H2-Kk negative but express class I antigens when producing IFN-gamma. However, class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC) expression, while likely necessary, was insufficient in itself to prevent tumor growth since secretion of greater than 64 units/ml IFN-gamma was needed to inhibit tumorigenicity while only 8 units/ml IFN-gamma could induce class I antigens. Similar results were obtained with the murine colon carcinoma CT-26, a tumor that constitutively expresses class I MHC antigens, further supporting the contention that class I MHC expression is not essential for the rejection response induced by IFN-gamma. The failure of SP1/IFN-gamma cells to protect against a challenge with parent SP1 cells argues that factors other than IFN-gamma production or class I MHC expression are needed to induce a protective response against weakly or nonimmunogenic tumor cells.