Effect of Plasma Cell Tumor on Antibody Production by Mouse Spleen Cells

Abstract

The plasma cell tumor, X5563, grown in C3H/eb mice reduces significantly the numbers of hemolytic plaques aemonstrable among spleen cells of tumorous animals as compared to their controls 5 days after a primary intra-peritoneal immunization with sheep erythrocytes. At the same time amounts of circulating hemagglutinin are also greatly reduced in the presence of this tumor daring the primary response. Few plaques were found among spleen cells of mice receiving a 2nd similar immunization whether the mice were tumorous or not although reasonably high circulating hemagglutinin titers were observed in these mice. The X5563 tumor affects the production of IgM globulin to a more marked degree than it does IgG globulin production. Possible competitive processes are suggested to account for the observed suppressive effect of the tumor on antibody production.