Tumor Antigens on Neoplasms Induced by Chemical Carcinogens and by DNA- and RNA-Containing Viruses: Properties of the Solubilized Antigens

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter summarizes the results of attempts to identify and isolate tumor antigens. The study of tumor-associated antigens presents two major problems for a tumor biologist. The first concerns their chemical structure and the second concerns the basis for their unusual interaction with the immune system. Tumor specific antigens— tumor associated transplantation antigens (TATA) or tumor-specific surface antigens (TSSA)—from several types of neoplasms of the mouse (those induced by chemical carcinogens and those induced by the DNA-containing and RNA-containing oncogenic viruses) can be obtained in soluble form and maintain the specific immunogenic activity of the intact cell. Chromatographic fractionation of the solubilized material allows for the separation of TATA or membrane-associated TSSA from other antigens, for example, from H-2 and from the murine leukemia virus (MuLV)-related antigens. A remarkable feature of TATAs of chemically induced tumors is their polymorphism. The genetic origin of these antigens has been amply discussed, and a commonly held view is that they represent products of derepressed or mutated genes. An analysis of the nature of the immune response to tumor antigens, with emphasis on their molecular structure, provides new methods for an immunological approach to the understanding and control of human cancer.