Evaluation of the humoral response of glioma patients to a possible common tumor‐associated antigen(S)

Abstract

Cytotoxic antibodies against glioblastoma-associated antigen(s) have been sought for in glioma patient sera. Complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) I and antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) assays were used to test sera from 80 patients using 51 Cr labelled target cells derived from eight different glioblastoma lines. As more positive sera were detected with ADCC than with CDC, ADCC assay was used for the remainder of the study. Cytotoxic antibodies were detected in the sera from 8 of 80 glioma patients (10%) by CDC and in 20 of 143 (14%) by ADCC. Fourteen percent of 27 meningioma patients and 16% of 25 normal donors used as controls were found to react in ADCC against the same glioblastoma cell lines. The positive serum samples showed extensive cross-reactions with the different glioblastoma cells, but the pattern of reactivity was different for each serum tested. The antibodies detected did not seem to be directed against tumor-associated antigen(s), since the positive sera were found to have a similar ADCC reactivity against unrelated tumor cells and normal fibroblasts. Moreover, their antiglioma reactivity was absorbed by cells of unrelated tumors and by normal platelets. These results do not support previous reports of specific humoral responses in glioma patients against common tumor-associated antigen(s).

Immunobiology of brain tumors

“…In other studies using large numbers of patients, the antiglioma activity has been demonstrated to extend to other neuroectodermal tumors and to connective tissue. This antiglioma activity can be readily absorbed out of the serum of these patients by cells of other tumors and by platelets [23]. Therefore, it has been suggested that while there is an autologous response by the humoral immune system in patients with CNS gliomas, this response is not specific and therefore does not constitute a direct antitumoral response.…”

“…Populations of B lymphocytes are present within gliomas, but their ability to produce anti-glioma antibodies capable of participating in complement dependent or antibody dependent cell-mediated cytotoxic responses is doubtful [1,23]. Several laboratories have demonstrated the presence of limited antiglioma activity within the sera of a small number of patients harboring CNS gliomas [7,21,26,36].…”

Human glioma tumour-associated antigens

“…Recently Martin-Achard et al [27], in a critical re-evaluation of the humoral response of glioma patients to a possible common tumour-associated antigen, found cytotoxic antibodies in sera from 8 of 80 glioma patients (10%) as tested by CDC. With the more sensitive antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity assay (ADCC), 20 of 143 patients' sera (14%) contained cytolytic antibodies.…”

The immunobiology of human gliomas

“…The existence of an autologous or allogenic response against a glioma tumor antigen has been investigated by Martin-Achard et al [37] who looked for cytotoxic antibodies against glioma-associated antigens in the sera from 80 patients using both complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) and antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) assays. CDC revealed the presence of cytotoxic antibodies in the sera of 10~ while ADCC was seen in 14~ of the patients.…”