Teratocarcinoma cell variants rejected by syngeneic mice: protection of mice immunized with these variants against other variants and against the original malignant cell line.

We reported previously that, by mutagenesis of a malignant teratocarcinoma cell line, it is possible to obtain a number of variant clones that are incapable of forming progressive tumors. Each of these "tum-" variants is rejected in syngeneic mice and stimulates the production of immune memory cells (self-protection). We show here that four different tum- clones confer an immune protection against each other although this cross-protection is invariably weaker than the self-protection. Moreover, mice immunized with living tum- cells are partially protected against the original malignant teratocarcinoma cells, even though the latter cells are incapable of conferring any immune protection when injected after being killed by irradiation. These results indicate that each tum- variant carries at least one specific transplantation antigen that is absent from the original tumor cell line and from most other tum- variants. Other tumor-specific transplantation antigens are probably present on all the tum- variants and also on the malignant teratocarcinoma cell line.