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The Thomsen, Friedenreich (TF) and Tn carbohydrate antigens are expressed on the vast majority of human adenocarcinomas and are associated with aggressive behavior of certain tumors. TF and Tn antigens are also expressed on certain murine cancer cell lines including TA3-Ha, a highly lethal, transplantable mammary adenocarcinoma. TF and Tn cancer-associated carbohydrate haptens were synthesized, conjugated to protein carriers and used to demonstrate that delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) effector T cells can specifically recognize and respond to carbohydrate determinants on the TA3-Ha tumor-associated glycoprotein, epiglycanin. The effector cells were shown to have the helper DTH phenotype (Lyt1+, Lyt2-, Thy1+) and it was demonstrated that they respond to specific carbohydrate determinants in an MHC-restricted fashion. These experiments provide the rationale for the use of synthetic tumor-associated glycoconjugates (S-TAGs) to stimulate anticancer T cell immunity. In support of this hypothesis, it was shown that preimmunization with the appropriate S-TAGs could provide a degree of protection against a subsequent tumor transplant and that antitumor effector Lyt1+, Lyt2- T cells could be generated in vitro using the appropriate S-TAGs as antigens.

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