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Occurrence of Natural Antibody to the G (Gross) Leukemia Antigen in Mice¹

Division of Immunology, Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research, Sloan-Kettering Division, Cornell Medical College, New York, New York

Antibody with specificity for the G (Gross) leukemia antigen is frequently demonstrable in older normal C57BL/6 and C57BL/6 hybrid mice, and is occasionally present in mice of other genotypes. Mice of strains with a high incidence of leukemia (G + strains) do not form G antibody. The pattern of occurrence of natural antibody in these various strains, and in various crosses, suggests that the capacity to produce G antibody plays an important part in the resistance of mice of certain genotypes to the induction of leukemia by naturally transmitted Gross virus. The high incidence of leukemia in strains of mice of susceptible genotype, on the other hand, appears to be associated with uninhibited replication of Gross virus and consequent immunologic tolerance. In segregating F₂ and backcross populations derived from crosses between G + and G - strains, natural antibody was found in some mice of H-2^bb and H-2^kb genotypes, but not in H-2^kk segregants. Thus the relative resistance to Passage A Gross virus shown by mice carrying H-2^kb and H-2^bb alleles, and the relative susceptibility of mice carrying H-2^kk alleles, may have an immunologic basis.

¹ Supported by USPHS Grant CA-06338, Contract PH43-66-99 from the National Cancer Institute, NIH, and a grant from the John A. Hartford Foundation, Inc.

Received 12/ 8/65.