Effect of Contact with Tissues In-Vitro on Activity of a Chicken Tumor Agent.

Abstract

The filtrate of Chicken Tumor No. 1 when kept in contact for 1 to 5 hours at room temperature with finely minced or dried muscle from susceptible fowl is generally either completely inactivated or has its potency greatly reduced. This partial or total inactivation was pronounced in 34 out of 46 tests. Carefully controlled experiments have shown that the 12 cases in which there was no demonstrable reduction in potency of the filtrate after muscle contact was explained by the fact that excessively active filtrates were used, for the inactivating effect of the muscle became evident when such filtrates were tested in more dilute form.

The specific nature of this reaction was shown by the fact that not only did muscle tissue of such resistant animals as the rabbit and pigeon have no effect on the activity of the tumor filtrate but the brain, kidney and liver of the susceptible chicken were without activity in this respect.

Desiccation of chicken muscle pulp after contact with filtrates has failed to release the tumor agent in an active form from the muscle. Either the union of the agent with the muscle substances is so strong as to render dissociation difficult or the phenomenon may be one of inactivation.