Immunological cross-reactivity between basic proteins of myelin and cancer. I. Lymphocyte transformation studies in immunized guinea-pigs

Abstract

The studies described were designed to examine the question of cross-reactivity between basic protein of myelin and a basic protein common to many human tumours. The lymphocytes from guinea-pigs injected with acid extracts of human cancer tissue showed significant (P less than 0-01) tranformation on exposure to basic protein of human myelin. Conversely lymphocytes from guinea-pigs injected with basic protein of human myelin showed significant (P less than 0-01) transformation on exposure to the acid extracts of human cancer tissue. Lymphocytes from control non-injected guinea-pigs did not transform on exposure to either antigen. These findings demonstrate immunological cross-reactivity in guinea-pigs between basic proteins of human myelin and of human cancer tissue using an assay system other than the macrophage electrophoretic migration hitherto used to show this effect in man.