Abstract
α FOETOPROTEIN (AFP) is a foetal protein produced in large quantities by the foetal liver, yolk sac, and certain tumours such as hepatomas and teratomas1,2. AFP does not cause immune response in a tumour-bearing host or in situations in which a transient increase in AFP takes place2. This apparent tolerance, however, can be broken in rabbits or mice by immunisation with heterologous2–4 or chemically modified homologous AFP (ref. 5). Both these approaches have been found effective in breaking tolerance to other antigens6. It has been shown that AFP-producing hepatoma cells are killed by anti-AFP antibodies in vitro7,8. AFP may thus be of potential use as target antigen in tumour immunotherapy.
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RUOSLAHTI, E., WIGZELL, H. Breakage of tolerance to α foetoprotein in monkeys. Nature 255, 716–717 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1038/255716a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/255716a0
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