Immunological studies on the membrane systems of cancer cells. 3. Immunospecificities of the mitochondria from virus-induced tumors by the precipitin reaction in agar gel

<P>The mitochondrial, the microsomal, and the supernatant fractions were prepared from the cell homogenate of tumors induced by viruses, such as adenovirus type 12, SV 40, and Rous sarcoma virus, etc. and the antigenicities of these fractions were investigated. In the virus-induced tumors, there existed no antigenicity common to the mitochondrial and the microsomal fractions as in the tumors induced by chemical carcinogens, and the highest antigenicity was recognized in the mitochondrial fraction. Therefore, the properties of the tumor cell mitochondria were precisely investigated with virus-induced tumor mitochondria. 1. The mitochondria of tumors induced by viruses have clearly the specific antigenicity. 2. This specific antigenicity of virus.induced tumor mitochondria IS common to all the virus-induced tumors used in the present study. 3. This tumor mitochondria.specific antigenicity is found commonly in all the tumor mitochondria in the present experiments. 4. The specific cancer antigenicity of tumor cell mitochondria does not exist in normal organ mitochondria, but the regenerating organ mitochondria exhibit a slight antigenicity common to cancer cell mitochondria.