Properties of reticulum-cell sarcomas in SJL/J mice. I. Proliferative response to tumor cells of T-derived lymphoid cells from normal mice.

Cells from reticulum-cell sarcomas (RCS), tumors with a probable B-cell origin in the SJL/J mouse strain, induced a high degree of proliferation in O-bearing syngeneic lymph-node and thymus cells obtained from young non-tumours mice. Although of considerably lower magnitude, a proliferation of SJL/J thymus cells to syngeneic normal lymph-node cells was also noted. Sera from normal syngeneic mice did not block either of these proliferative responses. Stimulation by RCS cells also occurred with normal lymph-node cells from F1 hybrids, SJL/J times C57Bl/6, and SJL/J times ASW and from the H-2s identical ASW mouse strain. It is suggested that these results are due either to the presence of viral antigens on the surface of RCS cells or to an exaggerated form of the normal syngeneic response of T to B lymphocytes. Another tumor of B-cell origin, the PU5 tumor of BALB/c mice, failed to induce proliferation in normal syngeneic lymph-node or thymus cells.