Human T cells targeted with anti-T3 cross-linked to antitumor antibody prevent tumor growth in nude mice.

Human peripheral blood T cells were tested for the ability to prevent tumor growth in nude mice when targeted with anti-T3 cross-linked to antitumor antibodies. LS174T human colon adenocarcinoma cells were mixed with human PBL coated either with anti-T3 (Fab) cross-linked to 315F6 (Fab) (an antitumor monoclonal antibody) or with no antibody, and were injected subcutaneously into nude mice. Tumor growth was totally inhibited at effector to target (E:T) ratios of 7.0:1 and 2.1:1, and was partially inhibited at 0.7:1 with antibody-coated PBL, but was not inhibited by uncoated PBL. T cell-mediated protection against tumor growth occurred when an antitumor was physically cross-linked to anti-T3. Neither a mixture of unlinked anti-T3 and antitumor antibodies nor anti-human MHC class I cross-linked to antitumor antibody prevented tumor growth. Whereas in vitro cytotoxicity was mediated exclusively by T8+ cells and was augmented by brief exposure of effector cells to IL 2, tumor neutralization in vivo was mediated by both T4+ and T8+ cells and was not significantly stimulated by prior exposure of the cells to IL 2. We conclude that human T cells, when targeted with appropriate antibody heteroaggregates, can specifically inhibit tumor growth at low E:T ratios, and that cells mediating tumor neutralization in vivo may differ from those mediating cytotoxicity in vitro.