Immunogenetic control of brain tumor growth in rats.

The susceptibility to intracerebral and s.c. growth of a transplantable gliosarcoma in genetically inbred rats correlated with histocompatibility type. The genetic control of tumor growth was tested in a cross between a tumor-susceptible strain (F344, Ag-B1) and a tumor-resistant strain (YO, Ag-B2). Susceptibility was transmitted as a dominant trait, and at least two genes or gene complexes were involved: one was linked to the major histocompatibility complex and one segregated independently of it. The genetic mechanisms did not appear to be affected significantly by the site (environment) in which the tumor grew. Antibodies to Ag-B1 histocompatibility antigens, which were those of the strain in which the tumor originated (F344), and to tumor-associated antigens were generally present in animals in which the tumor had regressed. Only tumor-specific antibodies appeared in the sera of Ag-B1 animals that had the tumor. A cytotoxic lymphokine was present in the sera of tumor-bearing animals, but its level did not correlate with tumor growth or regression.