Relationship of neoantigens induced by 3-methyl-cholanthrene treatment of Syrian hamster embryo cells to antigens expressed on fetal and 3-methyl-cholanthrene-transformed neoplastic cells.

Abstract

Neoantigen(s) induced on Syrian hamster cells during chemical carcinogenesis are also found on fetal and neoplastic hamster cells. 46 neoplastic cell lines independently isolated from colonies of 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MCA) in vitro-transformed hamster cells growing in semi-solid agar medium were assayed for expression of neoantigens recognized by hamster antisera to primary cultured late-term (15 days) hamster embryo cells treated for 18 h with 10 micrograms 3-MCA/ml. Ratios of the binding of this sera compared to solvent control sera ranged from 0.7 to 2.1 in terms of cpm bound. Only four of the 46 neoplastic cell lines exhibited significant (P less than 0.05) neoantigen expression. No correlation existed between the concentration of 3-MCA used to establish the neoplastic cell line and expression of the neoantigen(s). Absorption of the sera with these four highly reactive neoplastic cell lines and mid-term (10 days) embryo cells indicated that the neoantigen(s) recognized were common to the four reactive neoplastic cell lines and the mid-gestation fetal cells. The occurrence of early persistent immunogenic cell-surface alterations during in vitro carcinogenesis provides an approach to isolation of preneoplastic populations and provides potential target structures for the inhibition of carcinogenesis.