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IgA antibody, antibody‐dependent cellular cytotoxicity and prognosis in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma
Author(s) -
Mathew Gregory D.,
Qualtiere Louis F.,
Neel H. Bryan,
Pearson Gary R.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/ijc.2910270208
Subject(s) - antibody dependent cell mediated cytotoxicity , antibody , cytotoxic t cell , nasopharyngeal carcinoma , immunology , cytotoxicity , antigen , immunoglobulin g , immunoglobulin a , fc receptor , biology , virology , medicine , in vitro , monoclonal antibody , biochemistry , radiation therapy
Immunoglobulin fractions containing antibodies to the Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV) were isolated from different sera and tested in the antibody‐dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) assay. All cytotoxic activity resided in the IgG fraction. IgA antibodies were not cytotoxic in this assay against cells expressing the EBV‐induced membrane antigen complex. However, IgA antibodies were able to block the IgG‐mediated ADCC reaction, indicating that the IgA and IgG antibodies recognized the same EBV‐specific antigenic determinants. This was supported by results from radioimmune precipitation experiments. Our findings suggest that low ADCC titers previously identified in the sera of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) who had a poor prognosis could be due to the blocking acitivity of IgA antibodies. The results further suggest that IgA antibodies are detrimental to the patient with this disease, if one assumes that ADCC functions in vivo in immunity to this tumor.