EXPRESSION OF MAJOR HISTOCOMPATIBILITY COMPLEX (MHC) ANTIGENS AND THEIR LOSS ON CULTURE IN RENAL-CARCINOMA

Biopsies from the tumour and the adjacent normal kidney were obtained from 15 patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The proximal convolu ted tubules from which the tumour arose expressed major histocompatibi lity complex (MHC) class I antigen (Ag) in 3 cases and class II in non e. By contrast, the carcinoma cells expressed class I Ag in 14 cases a nd class II Ag in 5 cases. Cells from each carcinoma were established in culture. As the culture period increased, cells from six of eight R CC showed diminished expression of class I Ag and five of six reduced expression of class II Ag. This is similar to the relative loss of cla ss I Ag in synchronous metastases from RCC.