A comparative study on the xenotransplantability of human solid tumors into mice with different genetic immune deficiencies

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Abstract
These experiments set out to assess the role of NK and B cells in the resistance of nude mice to human tumor xenotransplantation. The transplantability of 9 fresh and 8 cultured human tumors was compared in 2 strains of mice with different genetic immune deficiencies: athymic NCr/Sed (nu/nu) nude mice, and nude‐beige‐xid (N:NIH‐nu‐bg‐xid/Sed mice). Flow cytometric studies showed both strains to be deficient in Thy. 1.2 (T) cells and unresponsive to stimulation by Concanavalin A (Con A) or direct T‐cell‐receptor triggering with anti‐CD3. The number of B cells was similar in the 2 strains, but the response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was markedly reduced in the nude‐beige‐xid animals. The number of asialoGM1,‐positive cells (predominantly NK) detected by flow cytometry was also reduced in the nude‐beige‐xid mice. The transplantability of the human tumors was found to be equivalent in the 2 strains. Quantitative cell‐transplantation assays performed for 2 of the tumor cell lines did not reveal any subtle transplantation advantage for the more broadly immune‐deficient animals. No evidence could, therefore, be found to suggest that NK or B cells were major determinants of human tumor xenotransplantability in these strains of mice.