Autoantibody and Tumor Promotion

Summary Following treatment of Strain A mice with either croton oil or TPA, autoantibodies were detected by passive hemagglutination in the sera of the mice. Autoantibody to skin was induced in Strain A mice by the repeated injection of syngeneic skin and liver. Higher levels of antibody were achieved by injection of xenogeneic skin. Mice initiated with DMBA were injected with syngeneic liver and skin. The injected mice developed significantly higher levels of tumors than did noninjected controls. Xenogeneic skin injections produced high levels of autoantibody but did not promote tumor development. The results suggest that autoantibody may play a role in the promotion of tumors.