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Antibody to Carcinoembryonic Antigen in Hamsters Bearing GW-39 Human Tumors¹

Department of Immunology, Hoffmann-La Roche Inc., Nutley, New Jersey 07110 [F. J. P., R. H. W., H. J. H.] ; Department of Clinical Immunology, Roswell Park Memorial Institute, Buffalo, New York 14203 [E. C.]; and Department of Pathology, University of Kentucky Medical Center, Lexington, Kentucky 40506 [D. M. G.].

² To whom requests for reprints should be addressed.

The appearance of anti-carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) activity in the sera of hamsters bearing i.m. heterografts of GW-39, a CEA-producing colonic tumor of human origin, was demonstrated in radioimmunoassay using radioiodinated CEA purified from GW-39. Column chromatography, sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation, and radioimmunoelectrophoresis of pooled sera from tumor-bearing hamsters showed that the CEA antibody was of the immunoglobulin M type. The CEA antibody in tumor sera contained two specificities that reacted with different determinants on the CEA. One specificity reacted with a blood group-related determinant, whereas the remaining specificity was against a unique site on the CEA. Sequential analysis of individual tumor-bearing animals revealed that an increase in tumor growth paralleled the concomitant appearance of circulating CEA and highest antibody titer, suggesting that immunoglobulin M antibody, antigen, or complexes thereof influence tumor growth in this model.

¹ This investigation was supported, in part, by USPHS Grant CA-15799 from the National Cancer Institute through the National Large Bowel Cancer Project.

Received 3/ 4/75. Accepted 3/17/76.