Effects of horse and fetal calf serum on the expression of tumor-associated antigen and tumorigenicity of L5178Y leukemia/lymphoma cells

Abstract

A tumor antigen (TA) associated with murine leukemia-lymphoma L5178Y cells has been identified by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) techniques. The antigen was present in both non-solubilized and 0.5% NP-40 solubilized membrane extracts. Rabbit anti-L5178Y lymphoma serum (RALS), extensively absorbed with normal mouse tissues, identified TA in extracts of L5178Y lymphoma and L5178Y leukemia cells grown in horse serum (L5178Y/HS), but not in extracts of L5178Y cells grown in fetal calf serum (L5178Y/FCS). Similarly, absorbed rabbit anti-L5178Y/HS serum specifically reacted with extracts of lymphoma and L5178Y/HS but not with L5178Y/FCS cells. Membrane IIF showed positive reactivity in 88% of lymphoma and 73% of L5178Y/HS cells, whereas splenic lymphocytes and L5178Y/FCS cells were negative. Goat anti-AKR virus serum reacted with soluble extracts of lymphoma, L5178Y/HS, and L5178Y/FCS as well as with normal DBA/2 tissues in the ELISA. However, goat anti-AKR virus serum did not block the reactivity of RALS to lymphoma in the blocking ELISA (BELISA). Expression of TA, but not murine leukemia viral antigen(s), was correlated with the in-vivo tumorigenicity of the L5178Y cells. The antigenic activity of lymphoma extract was reduced by incubation for 1 h at 56 and 65°C, by trypsin digestion, and by exposure to pH 2.8 or 11.0 for 1 h. The antigen, sequentially purified by gel filtration and Lentil-lectin affinity chromatography, was a glycoprotein, with a molecular weight of approx. 64,000 daltons, as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis.