Increased susceptibility of tumor cells and chicken erythrocytes to lysis by antibody and complement after treatment with aminoethylisothiouronium bromide hydrobromide (AET).
After treatment with aminoethylisothiouronium bromide hydrobromide (AET), the ascites forms of the diethylnitrosamine-induced guinea pig hepatomas, line-1 and line-10, were susceptible or more susceptible to killing in vitro by certain combinations of tumor-specific or IgM anti-Forssman antibody and either human or guinea pig complement. Since AET could be toxic to either cell line, conditions of pH, concentration of AET, and duration of exposure of the cells to the reagent were determined that resulted in enhanced susceptibility without significantly affecting cell viability. Chicken erythrocytes (CE) also were tested and AET-treated cells found to be more susceptible to lysis by IgM anti-Forssman antibody and guinea pig complement. The enhancement apparently was not due to increased ability of AET-treated CE to fix antibody. In contrast to CE, the lytic susceptibility of sheep cells was not affected by AET treatment. In addition to AET, several drugs and enzymes that also can affect the susceptibility of the tumor cells to antibody and complement were tested and found to be ineffective against CE. Since AET reputedly acts directly on the cell surface, it seems reasonable to assume that the increased susceptibility of the tumor cells and CE to antibody and complement may result from a modification of the cell surface.