Cell line misidentification: the beginning of the end

Cell lines are used extensively in research and drug development as models of normal and cancer tissues. However, a substantial proportion of cell lines is mislabelled or replaced by cells derived from a different individual, tissue or species. The scientific community has failed to tackle this problem and consequently thousands of misleading and potentially erroneous papers have been published using cell lines that are incorrectly identified. Recent efforts to develop a standard for the authentication of human cell lines using short tandem repeat profiling is an important step to eradicate this problem.

[1]  J A Thomson,et al.  Short tandem repeat profiling provides an international reference standard for human cell lines , 2001, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[2]  Dana Ravid,et al.  A case study in misidentification of cancer cell lines: MCF-7/AdrR cells (re-designated NCI/ADR-RES) are derived from OVCAR-8 human ovarian carcinoma cells. , 2007, Cancer letters.

[3]  Christopher Korch,et al.  Deoxyribonucleic acid profiling analysis of 40 human thyroid cancer cell lines reveals cross-contamination resulting in cell line redundancy and misidentification. , 2008, The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism.

[4]  Amanda Capes-Davis,et al.  Check your cultures! A list of cross‐contaminated or misidentified cell lines , 2010, International journal of cancer.

[5]  H. Drexler,et al.  Mantle cell lymphoma-derived cell lines: unique research tools. , 2006, Leukemia research.

[6]  B Budowle,et al.  CODIS STR loci data from 41 sample populations. , 2001, Journal of forensic sciences.

[7]  Rhitu Chatterjee,et al.  Cases of Mistaken Identity , 2007, Science.

[8]  W. Nelson-Rees,et al.  Banded Marker Chromosomes as Indicators of Intraspecies Cellular Contamination , 1974, Science.

[9]  Gartler Sm.  Genetic markers as tracers in cell culture. , 1967 .

[10]  H. Drexler,et al.  Widespread intraspecies cross‐contamination of human tumor cell lines arising at source , 1999, International journal of cancer.

[11]  R. Nims,et al.  Sensitivity of isoenzyme analysis for the detection of interspecies cell line cross-contamination , 1998, In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology - Animal.

[12]  W. Silvers,et al.  Immunological and karyological criteria for identification of cell lines. , 1960, Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

[13]  C. Korch,et al.  TSU-Pr1 and JCA-1 cells are derivatives of T24 bladder carcinoma cells and are not of prostatic origin. , 2001, Cancer research.

[14]  B Budowle,et al.  Validation of short tandem repeats (STRs) for forensic usage: performance testing of fluorescent multiplex STR systems and analysis of authentic and simulated forensic samples. , 2001, Journal of forensic sciences.

[15]  P. Debenham,et al.  Cell line characterisation by DNA fingerprinting; a review. , 1992, Developments in biological standardization.

[16]  Paula Chaves,et al.  Verification and unmasking of widely used human esophageal adenocarcinoma cell lines. , 2010, Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

[17]  K. Brand,et al.  Results of species-specific hemagglutination tests on "transformed," nontransformed, and primary cell cultures. , 1962, Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

[18]  Gertrude Case Buehring,et al.  Cell line cross-contamination: How aware are mammalian cell culturists of the problem and how to monitor it? , 2004, In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology - Animal.

[19]  Stefan Schmidt,et al.  Cancer cell line identification by short tandem repeat profiling: power and limitations , 2005, FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.

[20]  W. Nelson-Rees,et al.  Responsibility for truth in research. , 2001, Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences.

[21]  R. Nardone.  Curbing rampant cross-contamination and misidentification of cell lines. , 2008, BioTechniques.

[22]  A. Multani,et al.  Human tumor xenografts in nude mice are not always of human origin , 1998, Cancer.

[23]  S. O’Brien,et al.  Application of DNA fingerprints for cell-line individualization. , 1990, American journal of human genetics.

[24]  Sudhir Varma,et al.  DNA fingerprinting of the NCI-60 cell line panel , 2009, Molecular Cancer Therapeutics.

[25]  G. Hutchins,et al.  Henrietta Lacks, HeLa cells, and cell culture contamination. , 2009, Archives of pathology & laboratory medicine.

[26]  H. Drexler,et al.  ECV304 (endothelial) is really T24 (bladder carcinoma): Cell line cross-contamination at source , 1999, In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology - Animal.

[27]  Y. Matsuo,et al.  False leukemia–lymphoma cell lines: an update on over 500 cell lines , 2003, Leukemia.

[28]  Roland M. Nardone,et al.  Eradication of cross-contaminated cell lines: A call for action , 2007, Cell Biology and Toxicology.

[29]  W. Nelson-Rees,et al.  Inter- and intraspecies contamination of human breast tumor cell lines HBC and BrCa5 and other cell cultures , 1977, Science.

[30]  G. Pratesi,et al.  Human tumor xenografts in nude mice are not always of human origin , 1999, Cancer.

[31]  Paolo Romano,et al.  Cell Line Data Base: structure and recent improvements towards molecular authentication of human cell lines , 2008, Nucleic Acids Res..