Summary
Although cell membranes have potent inhibitors which protect the activation of complement on the self cell membranes, some viruses have been shown to activate complement via the alternative pathway on the virus-infected cells. Tumour cells have been made reactive to homologous complement following treatment with such viruses and became highly immunogenic to syngeneic host guinea pigs and mice. Vaccinia virus (VV) made murine tumour cells highly immunogenic thus generating complement activating capacity on the infected cells. Since it has been suggested that VV can make some human tumour cells immunogenic to the cancer patients, we examined VV to see if the virus also has the capacity to make human tumour cells reactive with homologous human complement. Our present results indicate that not only is this the case but ultraviolet-treated VV also has the same effect.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Hersey P, Edwars A, D'Alessandro G, MacDonald M (1986) Phase II study of vaccinia melanoma cell lysates (VMCL) as adjuvant to surgical treatment of stage II melanoma. Cancer Immunol Immunother 22:221
Hugli TE, Muller-Eberhard HJ (1978) Anaphylatoxins: C3a and C5a. Adv Immunol 26:1
Joklik WK (1962) The purification of four strains of poxvirus. Virology 18:9
McConnell I, Klein G, Lint TF, Lachmann PJ (1978) Activation of the alternative complement pathway by human B cell lymphoma lines is associated with Epstein-Barr virus transformation of the cells. Eur J Immunol 8:453
Muller-Eberhard HJ, Schreiber RD (1980) Molecular biology and chemistry of the alternative pathway of complement. Adv Immunol 29:1
Nakamura S, Goto F, Goto K, Yoshinaga M (1982) Physioco-chemical characterization of a PMN-derived soluble factor that enhances lymphocyte DNA synthesis. J Immunol 128:2614
Ohta H, Yoshikawa Y, Kai C, Yamanouchi K (1983) Activation of chicken alternative complement pathway by fowlpox virus-infected cells. Infect Immun 42:29
Okada H, Baba T (1974) Rosette-formation of human erythrocytes on cultured cells of tumor origin and activation of complement by cell membrane. Nature 248:521
Okada H, Tanaka H (1983) Species-specific inhibition by glycophorin of complement activation via the alternative pathway. Mol Immunol 20:1233
Okada N, Shibuta H, Okada H (1979) Activation of the alternative pathway of guinea pig complement by Sendai virus treated cells. Microbiol Immunol 23:689
Okada H, Tanaka H, Okada N (1983) Prevention of complement activation on the homologous cell membrane of nucleated cells as well as erythrocytes. Eur J Immunol 13:340
Okada H, Tanaka H, Okada N (1983) Cytolysis of Sendai virus-infected guinea-pig cells by homologous complement. Immunology 49:29
Okada H, Tanaka H, Okada N (1985) Increased immunogenicity of tumor cells by induction of complement activating capacity of cell membrane. In: Basic mechanisms and clinical treatment of tumor metastasis. Academic Press, New York, p 255
Rocklin RE, Bendtzen K, Greineder RD (1980) Mediators of immunity: lymphokines and monokines. Adv Immunol 29:55
Shimizu Y, Fujiwara H, Ueda S, Wakamiya N, Kato S, Hamaoka T (1984) The augmentation of tumor-specific immunity by virus help. II. Enhanced induction of cytotoxic T lymphocytes and antibody response to tumor antigens by vaccinia virus-reactive T cells. Eur J Immunol 14:839
Sissons JGP, Oldstone NBA, Schreiber RD (1980) Antibody-independent activation of the alternative complement pathway by measles virus-infected cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 77:559
Wakamiya N, Okada N, Wang Y, Ito T, Ueda S, Kato S, Okada H (1987) Activation of murine alternative complement pathway by vaccinia virustreated cells (in press)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Okada, H., Wakamiya, N., Okada, N. et al. Sensitization of human tumor cells to homologous complement by vaccinia virus treatment. Cancer Immunol Immunother 25, 7–9 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00199294
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00199294