Protective antitumor immunity induced by immunization with completely allogeneic tumor cells.

We have shown previously that immunization of B6 mice (H-2b) with tumor cells of B6 origin transformed by the human adenovirus type 5 early region 1 (Ad5E1) induces an H-2Db-restricted CTL response against an E1B-encoded CTL epitope. We now report that immunization of B6 mice with Ad5E1-transformed tumor cells of BALB/c origin (H-2d), apart from inducing a B6 anti-BALB/c allo-response, also induces a strong CTL response against the E1B-encoded H-2Db-presented CTL epitope. BALB/c Ad5E1-transformed tumor cells are not recognized by E1B-specific CTLs, indicating that nontumor cells have processed the E1B-encoded CTL antigen and have presented the E1B peptide to E1B-specific CTLs. These data also show that the B6 anti-BALB/c allo-response does not overwhelm the anti-E1B response induced by the allogeneic tumor cell vaccination. Moreover, B6 mice immunized with allogeneic BALB/c Ad5E1 cells are, in contrast to mice vaccinated with untransformed BALB/c cells, protected against a subsequent challenge with B6 Ad5E1-expressing tumor cells. These data show that immunization with completely allogeneic tumor cells can lead to protective syngeneic antitumor immunity, indicating that completely allogeneic tumor cell vaccines can be used for the induction of antitumor immunity.