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Heightened Immunity and Susceptibility toward Cheek Pouch Heterografts of a Mouse Leukemia in Syrian Hamsters^*

( Laboratories of Immunogenetics, The Children's Cancer Research Foundation, and Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, The Children's Hospital, Boston, Mass.)

Heterotransplantation of 1.0 x 10⁷ AK-4 cells of AKR mice into cheek pouches of normal and cortisone-treated adult Syrian hamsters resulted in measurable but transient growth; small vascular tumors which appeared at 5–7 days regressed completely by 10–14 days. Noncortisonized hamsters vigorously rejected second-set grafts, which failed to vascularize, in considerably less time, in either the previously exposed or contralateral pouch. Hamsters treated with cortisone during and following rejection of the first-set graft also vigorously rejected second-set grafts at 2 weeks following first-set grafting but accepted second-set grafts, in 50 per cent of the instances at 4–6 weeks, in either the previously exposed or contralateral pouch. This acceptance of second-set grafts was in contrast to the failure of hamsters pretreated with cortisone alone to support the growth of first-set grafts.

Successful second-set grafts in cortisone-treated hosts grew progressively for 10–14 days, after which interval the grafts necrotized and ulcerated. Despite evidence of locally infiltrating cheek pouch tumors at death at 4–6 weeks, in no instance was disseminated leukemia observed. Retransplantation of hamster-borne tumors to mice, however, resulted in selective death of AKR mice with disseminated disease, indicating retention of strain-specificity and the capacity of the cells to generalize.

The possible relation between heightened susceptibility to AK-4 heterografts in the hamster pouch, and tumor homograft enhancement in the mouse is discussed, as is the significance of this study with respect to the concept of "immunological privilege" of the cheek pouch.

^* Presented in part before the American Association for Cancer Research, April 15, 1962.

These studies were supported in part by research grants #CY-3335 and #C-6516 from the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, United States Public Health Service.

Received 8/19/63.

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				R. A. Adams Immunity and Susceptibility toward Cheek Pouch Transplants of a Mouse Leukemia Science, November 13, 1964; 146(3646): 944 - 945. [Abstract] [PDF]