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Line-1 guinea pig hepatoma cells are susceptible to killing by anti-Forssman IgM antibody plus guinea pig complement (GPC). When these tumor cells are incubated with insulin, epinephrine, hydrocortisone, or prednisolone, the cells show a marked reduction in their susceptibility to antibody-C-killing. If the ability of the cells to synthesize DNA, RNA, and protein is impaired by pretreatment with metabolic inhibitors, x-irradiation, or culture in nutrient-deficient media, the hormones are no longer effective in rendering the cells resistant to killing. If only DNA synthesis is impaired, but not RNA and protein synthesis, the hormones are effective. The inability of cells inhibited in their macromolecular synthesis to be rendered resistant to killing after hormone treatment is not due to an inability of the cells to bind hormone.

The hemolytic efficiency of rabbit-anti-Forssman IgM antibody depends on the source of complement components. With whole guinea pig complement as few as one in 10 IgM molecules was hemolytic; it was found that with purified guinea pig C1, C4, and C2 components and with rat late-acting components, all IgM molecules were hemolytic. Evidence indicates that the block occurred as a result of generating at least two different cell-bound C4 molecules, one of which was not competent with homologous late-acting components.

The inhibitory effect of metal salts on the formation and transformation of E to ghosts was studied. Ferrous and ferric salts inhibited the binding of C9 to EAC1-8 cells but had no other inhibitory role in the reaction. Uranly, copper, and zinc salts inhibited the transformation of the EAC1-9inserted intermediate to E ghosts. This inhibition occurred at a stage prior to detectable damage as measured by 86Rb or hemoglobin release and at a step prior to that inhibitable by high molarity EDTA. Consequently a further step in the reaction sequence of E to ghosts was identified. The reaction sequence leading from EAC1-9 to ghosts can be summarized as follows: formula: (see text).

The mechanism of the terminal steps in the lysis of antibody-sensitized tumor cells by complement (TAC) was studied. It was shown that once complement has reacted, lysis proceeded even in the absence of fluid-phase complement. Transformation of TAC to dead cells was found to be at least a two-step process: one of the steps was temperature dependent whereas the other was reversibly inhibited by EDTA. In analogy to the hemolytic system, TAC has been designated T.

Methods for preparing chicken erythrocytes (CE) with C7 bound to their surface were devised by using either the classical pathway (CEA1-7) or an activated 56hu reagent (CE567) derived from inulin-treated human serum. These intermediates were used to study the lysis of CE by functionally purified C8 and C9 isolated from guinea pig and human serum. The results indicated that GPC9 was less efficient in lysing CEA1-8 or CE5678 than HuC9. This finding was observed irrespective of the species of C8 used. Experiments designed to analyze this difference indicated that there were two functionally distinct forms of C5b-8 that were randomly distributed among the cells but differed in their ability to generate a C lesion depending on the species of C9 used to complete the reaction. The implications of these results on the mechanism of generation of C lesions are briefly discussed.

The ability of IgG antibodies with different hapten specificities to fix C1 and activate C as a function of hapten density on a red cell surface was investigated. Rabbit anti-methotrexate and anti-folinic acid IgG antibodies in a mixture were highly efficient in fixing C1 and activating C when cells carried simultaneously high levels of both haptens. We wished to find out whether in a C-activating IgG complex both IgG molecules had to be in a form that could activate C1. By reducing hapten density of one of the haptens on a double labeled cell, complexes were generated where only one in a pair of IgG molecules was in the activating form; such a pair had the same activating efficiency as a pair in which both IgG molecules were in the activating form. It was concluded that cooperative activation of C in C1-binding IgG complexes required only one IgG in the complex to be in the activating form.

Sheep erythrocytes pretreated with supernatants of mouse spleen or thymus cells become resistant to lysis by guinea pig complement. The inhibitory activity (IA) reduces the utilization of C2 by EAC14. Because IA binds to the surface of sheep erythrocytes and does not inhibit C1 irreversibly, it is probably a hitherto undescribed inhibitor of complement.

Staphylococcal protein (A (PA) and IgG anti-Forssman immunoglobulin formed complexes that behaved functionally like IgM in their ability to lyse sheep erythrocytes (E) in the presence of whole guinea pig complement (GPC) and to fix purified guinea pig C1. Concanavalin A, a plant lectin that inhibited IgM but not IgG hemolytic activity, inhibited the hemolytic activity of IgG-protein A complexes that behaved like IgM but had no effect on complexes that behaved functionally like IgG. Since Con A is known to bind specifically to glucose and mannose residues, our results suggested that the interaction of protein A with the Fc region of IgG led to exposure of sugar moieties that may participate in complement (C) binding. The production of IgM-like complexes depended on the ratio of protein A to IgG and the empirical formula of these IgM-like complexes was found to be [(IgG)2PA]n. As the ratio of PA to IgG was increased, the resulting complexes tended to behave functionally like IgG but with reduced hemolytic activity and C1 fixing ability. Furthermore, the binding of C1 to EIgG was inhibited by PA and the binding of PA to EIgG was inhibited by C1 indicating that the binding sites for C1 and PA were located near each other or were identical. Our results offer a reasonable explanation for the reported effects of PA or mixtures of PA and IgG in vitro and in vivo.

The inhibitory effects of 0.1 M EDTA on the lysis of E prepared by incubating EA with whole GPC was studied. At high end point lysis (greater than 70%) 0.1 M EDTA failed to prevent hemoglobin release whereas at lower end point (less than 60%) 0.1 M EDTA was effective. In all cases hemoglobin release was inhibited by 25% BSA. When E were prepared by incubating EAC1-8 with C9, similar results were obtained. In this system the difference in the ability of 0.1 M EDTA to inhibit hemoglobin release at high or low end point lysis could not be correlated with the low end point lysis could not be correlated with the number of lesions/cell but appeared to be related to the C9 to SAC1-8 ratio. With limiting SAC1-8 and excess C9, E were produced from which hemoglobin release could not be prevented by 0.1 M EDTA whereas at lower C9 to SAC1-8 ratios hemoglobin release was prevented by 0.1 M EDTA. These differences most probably reflect functionally different sized transmembrane channels that were produced at different C9 to SAC1-8 ratios.

Concanavalin A (Con A) was found to inhibit the killing of antibody-sensitized line-1 tumor cells (TA) by guinea pig complement (GPC) but not by human complement (HuC). Other plant lectins (wheat germ, leucoagglutinin, and pokeweed mitogen) were also tested but Con A was the only lectin found to inhibit antibody-GPC-mediated killing. The inhibitory effect of Con A was observed when the GPC was mixed with Con A or when the antibody-sensitized cells were pretreated with Con A (TA-Con A) before the addition of GPC. The effect could be reversed by treatment of such cells with alpha-D-methylglucopyranoside or by incubation at 37 degrees C for approximately 2 hr. Con A appeared to act by preventing the binding of the first component of GPC (GPC1) to antibody-sensitized tumor cells. Differences in the binding of the first component of HuC (HuC1) and GPC1 to TA-Con A suggested that a difference in the binding site for HuC1 and GPC1 might exist. There was no difference in the number of GPC1 molecules fixed to antibody-sensitized sheep erythrocytes (EA) or EA treated with Con A in experiments using the same antibody as used with the tumor cells and the same Con A preparation. It would consequently appear that the inhibitory effect of Con A on the binding of GPC1 to TA is not due solely to an interaction of Con A with the antibody.

Rabbit anti-methotrexate (MTX) IgG antibody was used to study the effect of MTX density on sheep red cells on the lysis of cells by complement (C). Under conditions in which the density of IgG did not vary, the number of lytic IgG complexes remained approximately the same when the average distance between MTX molecules was between 5 and 7 nm, but decreased rapidly with an average distance less than 10 nm. The results were interpreted to mean that in addition to aggregation for IgG to acquire maximal C in fixing and activating properties, the angle of the Fab arms of the molecule must not be larger than about 50 to 60 degrees. The data also suggested IgG molecules with Fab angles of less than about 30 degrees might also not be able to induce C-mediated cell lysis.

Agents that increase (certain metabolic inhibitors, chemotherapeutic agents, and x-irradiation), decrease (hormones), or have no effect (hyperthermia) on the susceptibility of line-1 and line-10 guinea pig hepatoma cells to humoral immune attack were studied for their effects on the ability of these tumor cells to synthesize macromolecules. A correlation was found between the drug-induced increase in sensitivity of these cells to antibody-C mediated killing and the loss of their ability to incorporate fatty acids into complex cellular lipids. Similarly, the hormone-induced increase in resistance of the cells to killing was accompanied by an enhancement in complex lipid synthesis by these cells was also observed after the cells were exposed to physical means of insult (x-irradiation or hyperthermia). No correlation was found between the sensitivity of the cells to antibody-C mediated killing and their ability to synthesize DNA, RNA, protein, or complex carbohydrate, or their capacity for de novo lipid synthesis as measured by incorporation of acetate and glycerol into cellular macromolecules. The assembly of free fatty acids into complex lipid moieties is therefore proposed to be of fundamental importance for the ability of the tumor cells to resist humoral immune killing.

Spontaneous activation of C1r in the presence of EDTA was examined by a Western blot. Partially purified native C1r was prepared by ultracentrifugation of fresh serum in 10 to 30% sucrose gradient; final concentration of C1r was one-sixth of the original serum. C1(-)-INH was not detectable by a single radial immunodiffusion (less than 0.5% of serum). The results demonstrated that 1) the rate of spontaneous activation of C1r was slow (less than 10% in 30 min); 2) it was concentration-dependent; 3) it was enhanced by activated C1r; and 4) it was almost completely suppressed by serine protease inhibitors up to 1 h. These results were inconsistent with an intramolecular autoactivation model of C1r in the fluid phase and suggested intermolecular activation by contaminating protease or activated C1r.

We have previously shown that 0.1 M EDTA could be used to distinguish functionally different transmembrane channels produced during complement-(C) mediated hemolysis of E. In this paper we have studied the ability of sugars of varying Stokes' radii to prevent hemoglobin release from E intermediates whose lysis was inhibitable or not inhibitable by EDTA. On the basis of these experiments we propose that the inhibition of E transformation by high molarity EDTA occurs by virtue of the size of the EDTA molecule in solution. Studies on the effect of EDTA on red cell lysis induced by polyene antibiotics that form transmembrane channels of a defined size support this conclusion. The results of these experiments were interpreted to mean: 1) The EDTA inhibitable lesion of E has a smaller effective radius than the noninhibitable lesion; 2) the effective radius of the smallest lesion that yields a lytic site was less than 3.6 A; 3) the lesions produced in the red cell membrane by C are not uniform but vary in size depending on the C9 to SACl-8 ratio used to produce E.

Two antigenically distinct diethylnitrosamine-induced guinea pig hepatoma cell lines, line-1 and line-10, sensitized with rabbit anti-Forssman or with tumor-specific antibody, were more susceptible to killing by human complement (HuC) than by guinea pig complement (GPC). This difference could not be ascribed to differences in the amount of C1, C4, and C3 fixed: millions of C4 and hundreds of thousands of C3 were detected on cells whether they were killed or not killed by the C sources. Tumor cells sensitized with anti-Forssman IgM antibody generally had more GP C4 and C3 than Hu C4 and C3 bound to their surfaces. Cells sensitized with anti-tumor antibody generally had more Hu C4 and C3 than GP C4 and C3 bound to their surfaces. The resistance to killing of nucleated cells by antibody and C may be due in part to intrinisic properties of the cell.

EA3H-C4hu treated with 2-mercaptoethanol (MSH) or dithiothreitol (DTT) were analyzed for residual chains and hemolytic activity. MSH treatment resulted in no loss of the chains of C4b and no loss of reactivity with a polyclonal anti-human C4 rabbit antibody, and the cells did not lose their ability to generate SAC4b2a. DTT-treated cells lost about 70% of the gamma-chain and over 95% of C4b activity; there was no loss of alpha' and beta chains or the ability to react with anti-C4 antibody. Kinetic studies indicated that the remaining 30% of the gamma-chains could not be removed by prolonged incubation with DTT, implying heterogeneity of cell bound C4b. The data also imply that the gamma-chain is important in the generation of SAC4b2a.

?The cytotoxicity of nucleated cells by specific antibody and complement can be guantitated in vitro by several methods. Trypan blue exclusion, 51-Cr release, inhibition of uptake of 3-H-thymidine, and inhibition of colony formation are the four assays that we used to guantitatively compare the C-mediated cytotoxicity of Chinese hamster lung (CHL) cells. CHL cells were sensitized with either guinea pig or rabbit anti-CHL antisera, and exposed to guinea pig, human, or rabbit C. We found that the relative activities of the antibodies and the complements were not dependent on the method of measurement of cytotoxicity, i.e., a given pair of antiserum-complement were not dependent on the method of measurement of cytotoxicity, i.e., a given antiserum-complement titer, regardless of the assay used to measure cytotoxicity. However, the titers of the different antibody-complement pairs differed from each other.

The intermediate product EAC1-7 released hemoglobin when incubated with high concentrations of GPC8 in the absence of C9. The reaction failed to reach an end point within 8 hr at 37 degrees C, and analysis of the kinetics indicated that it did not conform to the one-hit theory of immune hemolysis, and was not, therefore, the result of C9 contamination of the C8 preparation. The release of 86Rb from labeled EAC1-7 incubated at 30 degrees C with limiting C8 and excess C9 was paralleled, within 5 to 10 min, by release of hemoglobin. In the absence of C9 and with higher concentrations of C8, 86Rb was released rapidly, but hemoglobin release was delayed for several hours. Addition of excess C9 to concentrations of C8, which did not alone cause 86Rb release, resulted in substantial release of the isotope. These observations indicate that C9 acts by producing a distinct lesion in the cell membrane rather than by accelerating the release of hemoglobin from the C8-initiated 86Rb-releasing lesions. It is concluded that 86Rb release cannot be used as a reliable indicator of cell lysis and that C8- and C8/C9-mediated hemolysis are the result of mechanistically different processes.

A method is described for the determination of the absolute amount of guinea pig (GP) C-3 bound to cell surfaces. The test is based on the inhibition of anti-C-3 by C-3. The C-3 to be measured is added to a standard amount of anti-C-3 antibody and the residual activity is determined by its capacity to sensitize EC43-gp for lysis by GPC. By comparing the observed lysis with inhibition-of-lysis curves obtained with known C-3 antigen, the amount of test antigen can be determined. The method is simple, rapid, and reproducible and can detect nanogram amounts of C-3. The C-3 content of six normal guinea pig sera was found to be 1365 plus or minus 56 mug/ml (ranges 1120 to 1510 mug/ml) by the inhibition method described in this paper. Guinea pig hepatoma cells, line-1 and line-10, harvested from the peritoneal cavity of guinea pigs contained approximately 6.7 x 10-3 to 6.2 x 10-4 GPC-3 per cell whereas tumor cells sensitized with anti-Forssman or specific anti-tumor antibody contained from 1 to 9 x 10-5 C-3 per cell. Susceptibility to killing by antibody and GPC could not be correlated with the amount of GPC-3 bound to the surfaces of the tumor cells. Comparisons made between the amounts of C-3 bound to antibody-sensitized sheep erythrocytes and nucleated cells suggest there is a fundamental quantitative difference in the fixation of selected C components.

A comparison of the events leading from T to dead cell and E to E ghost and hemoglobin was made. Transformation of T to dead cells was inhibitable by EDTA, NaF, histamine, DMSO, cytochalasin B and 3'5' cAMP. Transformation of E to E ghost and hemoglobin was only inhibited by EDTA.

We investigated the dissociation by fluid phase hapten of IgG antibodies bound to cell surface hapten in the presence and absence of anti-IgG antibodies. Dissociation was quantitated with fluid phase hapten, preventing reassociation of the anti-hapten antibodies. More than 90% of the anti-hapten IgG alone was prevented from reassociation by low concentrations of fluid phase hapten (nanogram to microgram range). In contrast, no dissociation of some IgG-anti-IgG complexes could be measured even at 24 hr incubation in the presence of very large excess of fluid phase hapten (100 mg/ml). We excluded aggregate formation between anti-hapten antibodies due to cross-linking by anti-antibodies as a cause for decreased dissociability by 1) performing the experiments in large excess of anti-antibody, 2) showing that the phenomenon was independent of anti-hapten antibody density, 3) showing that decreased dissociation also occurred at 4 degrees C, and 4) showing that aggregation by protein A did induce decreased dissociability, albeit three orders of magnitude lower than the anti-antibody. It was concluded that anti-antibody directly affected the "avidity" of cell hapten bound anti-hapten IgG in an unknown manner.

The guinea pig hepatoma (line-1) treated with anti-Forssman antibody (TA) and GPC sequentially released 86Rb, 14C from 14C aminoidobutyric acid and failed to exclude trypan blue. Incubation of TA with fluid phase GPC for 1 min caused maximal 86Rb release; however, if the GPC was removed at this time, the cells were not subsequently killed. Using a number of naturally occurring human sera deficient in a complement component we have shown 86Rb release requires the binding of the complement components 1 through 8, but there was no absolute requirement for C9. Irreversible damage to the cell as measured by 14C AIB release or uptake of trypan blue required the complete sequence of complete sequence of complement components. These observations indicate that 86Rb release is not a relible indicator cytotoxicity.

The first component of human complement was separated from C1-INH by sucrose linear gradient ultracentrifugation. Activation of C1 was studied in the absence and presence of immune complexes; activation was monitored by SDS-PAGE and Western blot. When the partially purified native C1 preparation was incubated at 37 degrees C without immune complexes, activated C1s appeared after 30 min in the case of eightfold dilution with respect to the original serum, and after 45 min with 32-fold dilution. Kinetics of appearance of activated C1r was the same as that of activated C1s. From the following results, we concluded that spontaneous activation may be partially due to proteolytic enzymes contaminating the preparation: 1) a nonspecific protease inhibitor, PMSF, completely inhibited spontaneous activation but did not inhibit the activation of C1 by immune complexes; 2) alpha 2-macroglobulin partially inhibited spontaneous activation, and 3) although spontaneous activation in the absence of PMSF was relatively slow, activated C1 accelerated spontaneous activation that was completely blocked by C1-INH. In contrast to spontaneous activation, the partially purified native C1 was rapidly activated by immune complexes: within 5 min almost all C1 was activated by rabbit IgG anti-human IgM-human IgM complexes. These results support conclusions derived from activation studies when using native C1 and hemolytic assays, and do not support those derived from the activation studies with reconstituted C1 and SDS-PAGE analysis. We suggest that the contradictions can be resolved if one assumes that C1 activation can be both an intra- and intermolecular process; which process dominates is determined by the state of C1 and by experimental conditions.

Antigenic similarity between cell-bound human and guinea pig C4 was detected with antisera specific for each of these molecules. No cross-reaction could be detected between C4 of normal guinea pig or human sera or after treatment of the sera with antigen-antibody C1 complexes. The cross-reactivity between cell-bound human and guinea pig C4 may reflect conformational changes in the C4 molecule as a result of binding of the cell surface.

Certain metabolic inhibitors or chemotherapeutic agents that increase the susceptibility of line-1 or line-10 guinea pig hepatoma cells to humoral immune attack were studied for their effects on the ability of the cells to synthesize lipids. A direct correlation was found between the drug-induced increase in sensitivity to antibody-C mediated killing and the inhibition of the ability of the cells to incorporate acetate, glycerol, and fatty acids into complex cellular lipids. Drug-treated cells recultured in drug-free medium regained their resistance to antibody-C mediated killing; these cells recovered their ability for complex lipid synthesis at this time. Thin layer chromatography of CHCl3:CH3OH lipid extracts from these cells indicated that the drug-induced increase in susceptibility to humoral immune attack correlated with the inhibition of acetate, glycerol, and fatty acid incorporation into cardiolipin and triglyceride in line-10 cells and the inhibition of incorporation of these compounds into cardiolipin alone in line-1 cells. No direct correlation was found between the sensitivity of the cells to humoral immune attack and the ability of the cells to incorporate precursors of lipid synthesis into other lipid moieties (sphyngomyelin, phosphatidyl serine, phosphatidyl choline, phosphatidyl glycerol, or cholesterol esters). The synthesis of cardiolipin and triglycerides, therefore, appears to be associated with the mechanism whereby these tumor cells resist antibody-C mediated killing.

Antibody-sensitized line-1 or line-10 tumor cells treated with GPC (TAC) incorporated fatty acids into complex cellular lipids and released increased amounts of fatty acids within 5 to 10 min after the addition of GPC as compared to control cells. This effect was dependent on the concentration of GPC used; however, under conditions where the cells were not killed, the enhanced synthesis and release of lipids were not dependent on the antibody concentration used to sensitize the cells. Treatment of the cells with antibody alone, GPC alone, or antibody plus heat-inactivated GPC did not result in enhanced synthesis or release of lipids. No enhancement in DNA, RNA, or protein synthesis in TAC was noted. Line-1 cells, which can be killed by GPC when sensitized with excess anti-Forssman IgM antibody, demonstrated enhanced lipid synthesis within 1 to 3 min after the addition of GPC to the antibody-sensitized cells, before measurable killing of the cells had occurred. This effect persisted in the surviving cells when tested 5 and 10 min after the formation of TAC. Addition of GPC deficient in C4 to antibody-sensitized cells did not result in enhanced lipid synthesis or release. These data suggest that the synthesis of macromolecules of which lipids are a major component is of central importance for the ability of the cells to resist antibody-GPC mediated attack.

Lysis of sheep erythrocytes (E) sensitized with anti-Forssman antiserum (EA) is inhibited by the action of concanavalin A (Con A) on whole guinea pig complement (GPC). The degree of inhibition observed for a given quantity of GPC was dependent on the Con A concentration. Specifically, Con A inhibits the activity of the early acting complement components C1 and C2 in the fluid phase, but has no significant effect on lysis once these components are bound to EA. Results of tmax experiments performed in the presence or absence of Con A showed that inhibition of C2 activity results from a direct interaction between Con A and C2 and not from a decreased number of effective EAC14 sites. Furthermore, since Con A pretreated or untreated EAC14 cells had the same tmax value, Con A and C2 apparently do not compete for the same binding site on the indicator cells. The lectin has no observable effect on either fluid phase or cell-bound C4 activity. Under similar conditions, wheat germ or soy bean agglutinin, leucoagglutinin or pokeweed mitogen did not inhibit hemolysis.

The intermediate product EAC1-8 released cytoplasmic components as a result of at least two sequential reactions after its interaction with C9. Binding of C9 to EAC1-8 occurred in a few minutes even at 0 degrees C. Trypsinization of EAC1-9 prepared and held at low temperature resulted in nullification of the potential hemolysis of these cells. A brief incubation at 30 or 37 degrees resulted in the formation of an intermediate whose hemolytic potential could not be nullified by trypsin. The failure of trypsin to nullify hemolysis was attributed to the insertion of C9 into the cell membrane. Studies on the effec of EDTA or low temperature suggested that the reported temperature-dependent step in E* formation described by Frank et al. was the insertion of C9. The results of the studies with 86Rb-labeled EAC1-8 indicated that a transmembrane channel was not formed until after the C9 had been inserted and a further reaction or reactions had occurred.

The increase in susceptibility to killing by rabbit antibody and guinea pig complement of guinea pig hepatoma cells (line-10), after treatment with certain metabolic inhibitors, did not correlate with the mobility of antigen on the cell surface as measured by indirect immunofluorescence.

Transformation of T to dead cells was prevented by 3'5' cAMP. The effect of 3'5' cAMP was dose, time, and temperature dependent. T washed free of 3'5' cAMP after short-term incubation proceeded to die to the same extent as control cells. After 3 hr of incubation of T with 3'5' cAMP the level of killing was significantly reduced. The 3'5' cyclic nucleotides of uridine, guanine, cytosine, and thymidine and the 2'3' cyclic adenosine nucleotide were not effective. It was concluded that prolonged treatment of T with 3'5' cAMP either irreversibly blocked the damage-producing process or facilitated the reapir of damaged sites.

It has been known for many years that IgG-C4 complexes are generated during the activation of the classical complement pathway. Information regarding binding of C4 by IgM is not available. We studied the binding of human C4 by natural human and rabbit anti-hapten IgM under conditions in which the IgM was bound to hapten coupled to sheep red cells. We eluted the IgM by excess fluid phase hapten, reattached the eluted IgM to red cells coupled with hapten, and transferred the IgM from red cell-IgM-C4 complexes to red cells coupled with hapten. Analysis of the cells by radioimmunoassay and/or by hemolytic assays showed that no C4 was eluted from the cells with the IgM, that no C4 transferred from cell to cell with the IgM, and that the C4 remaining on the cells was hemolytically active. We concluded that in contrast to IgG, natural human and rabbit IgM at a cell surface failed to bind C4.

The ascites form of a chemically induced guinea pig hepatoma, line-10, was resistant to killing in vitro by xenogeneic antibody and guinea pig complement. Pretreatment of line-10 cells with certain proteolytic enzymes rendered tham susceptible to the killing action of antibody and guinea pig complement. The effects of enzyme pretreatment were dependent on enzyme concentration, temperature, and could be blocked by addition of competitive or non-competitive inhibitors. The effect of the enzyme treatment could reversed by incubating the treated cells at 37 degrees C (but not at 0 degrees C), in the absence of the enzyme. Effective enzymes included ficin, bromelain, pronase, elastase, papain, trypsin, collagenase, lipases type I and type VI, and the neuraminidase preparation isolated from Clostridium perfringens. The activity of the lipase preparations and the neuraminidase preparation isolated from Clostridium perfringens appeared to be caused by proteolytic enzyme contamination. Enzyme preparations that proved ineffecitve in rendering the line-10 cells sensitive to killing by antibody and guinea pig complement included DNase, RNase, beta-glucuronidase type 6A or type B10, hyaluronidase type V or type VI, and pectinesterase.

Naturally soluble tumor antigens were detected in the ascites fluid of guinea pigs bearing an ascites tumor and from exhausted tissue culture media of cultured tumor cells. Two antigenically distinct cell lines of diethylnitrosamine-induced strain-2 guinea pig hepatomas (line-10 and line-1) served as the source of tumor antigens. Tumor antigen activity was detected by four different techniques: immunodiffusion, inhibition of complement-mediated cytotoxicity, inhibition of membrane immunofluorescence, and delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity. With syngeneic tumor-specific antiserum, line-10 guinea pig tumor antigens were detected by immunofluorescence in the concentrated ascites and tissue culture fluids. With a xenogenic antiserum, demonstrated to be tumor specific, line-10 tumor antigens were detected not only in the concentrated ascites and tissue culture fluids but also in two of the partially purified fractions of these fluids. When the line-10 concentrated ascites and its fraction I were subjected to ultracentrifugation at 300,000 x G for 1 hr, the antigen activity was retained in the supernatant and thus by this criterion the tumor antigens detected in these samples are soluble. Immunodiffusion data indicate that more than one antigen is present in the line-10 system since three lines of precipitation were detected when line-10 concentrated ascites was reacted with the line-10 tumor-specific antiserum. In contrast to this, the line-10-concentrated tissue culture fluid displayed only one line of precipitation. Although tumor antigens could not be demonstrated in the other antigenically distinct tumor cell line, line-1, by immunodiffusion or inhibition of membrane immunofluorescence, inhibition of complement-mediated cytotoxicity was able to detect tumor antigens in the line-1 concentrated ascites and tissue culture fluids.