This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Leong, S. P. L. Articles by Krementz, E. T. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Leong, S. P. L. Articles by Krementz, E. T.

Immunofluorescent Detection of Common Melanoma Membrane Antigens by Sera of Melanoma Patients Immunized against Autologous or Allogeneic Cultured Melanoma Cells¹

Department of Surgery, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112

Five melanoma patients were immunized against their autologous irradiated melanoma cells plus Bacillus Calmette-Guérin. Four of them developed membrane fluorescent antibody to five of seven melanoma cell lines but not to human skin fibroblasts, human kidney, monkey kidney, WI-38, HeLa, and leukemic T-lymphocyte cell lines. The highest antibody titer was 1/128. Antibody activity was completely absorbed by positive melanoma lines but not by negative melanoma lines, nonmelanoma lines, Bacillus Calmette-Guérin, or culture medium containing fetal calf serum. Five other melanoma patients were immunized against allogeneic melanoma cell lines plus Bacillus Calmette-Guérin. All developed membrane-reacting antibody to the five positive melanoma lines described above at titers up to 1/32. Two of the nine positive postimmune sera were tested in an autologous system in which they were reactive to their own melanoma cells but not to their skin fibroblasts. One of three primary melanoma imprints was positive for fluorescence, but three of three metastatic imprints were negative. The predominant antibody was immunoglobulin G, and it fixed C₃. With viable melanoma cells, sequential capping, polarization, and extrusion of antigen-antibody complexes could be seen after incubation with postimmune antimelanoma sera.

Negative sera included those from preimmune melanoma patients, 24 nonimmunized melanoma patients, 27 nonmelanoma cancer patients; and 110 of 112 noncancer patients. In the last group of patients two sera were positive, one at a dilution of 1/2 and the other at 1/4. The immunofluorescent data presented in this study strongly suggest the presence of common melanoma membrane antigens on cultured human melanoma cells.

¹ This investigation was supported in part by USPHS Research Grant CA05108 from the National Cancer Institute.

² Surgical Oncology Fellow. Present address: Cancer Research Center, L-310 Boston University School of Medicine, 80 East Concord Street, Boston, Mass. 02118.

³ Junior Faculty Awardee of the American Cancer Society. To whom requests for reprints should be addressed.

Received 6/13/77. Accepted 8/ 3/77.