Studies on Eight Transplantable Plasma-Cell Neoplasms of Mice

Eight plasma-cell neoplasms from mice of strain C3H/He or BALB/cAn, which were associated with the appearance of serum myeloma globulin in each new host, have been maintained in transplant. Each neoplasm was differentiated from the others by a characteristic serum- or urinary-protein electrophoretic pattern that developed during progressive growth of the transplanted tumor. The various plasma-cell neoplasms produced a variety of globulins with electrophoretic mobilities extending from the γ- to the γ-region. Each neoplasm produced proteins that were confined to a part of this globulin region, which indicated a restricted protein-producing capacity. Two neoplasms, which produced similar serum globulin electrophoretic patterns, were differentiated by the appearance of Bence Jones protein in the urine of mice bearing one of the neoplasms but not in mice bearing the other. During serial transplantation, or transplantation to hybrids and certain other strains, the characteristic serum- and urinary-protein changes remained constant and did not change. It was concluded that the globulin production unique to each tumor was a stable heritable characteristic.