Alloantigenic phenotype of radiation-induced thymomas in the mouse.

The alloantigenic phenotype of 21 radiation-induced thymomas is described. Monoclonal antibodies and conventional antisera, absorbed to remove contaminating antibodies, were used to test the thymomas directly for the presence of H-2, Ia, Ly-1, Ly-2, Ly-4, Ly-5, Ly-6, Ly-9, Ly-15, Thy-1, TL, and Qa-2 antigens, and for surface immunoglobulin. The phenotypes obtained by direct tests were also confirmed by absorption studies. The tumors were all of T-cell origin (Thy-1+Ig-) and showed a restricted heterogeneity of their cell surface phenotype, concordant with the known alloantigenic phenotypes of functional T-cells. Thus the thymomas could be classified into 7 groups based on the differing expressions of Ia, Ly-1, Ly-2, Ly-4, and Ly-6 specificities; all tumors were H-2+, Ly-5+, Ly-9+, and Ly-15+. Thus a wide variety of phenotypically diverse tumors could be detected; if these represent the clonal expansion of different functional subsets, they could provide a valuable set of functional T-cells.