Many cell lines that are widely used for biomedical research have been overgrown by other, more aggressive cells. For example, supposed thyroid lines were actually melanoma cells, supposed prostate tissue was actually bladder cancer, and supposed normal uterine cultures were actually breast cancer. [1] This is a list of cell lines that have been cross-contaminated and overgrown by other cells. Estimates based on screening of leukemia-lymphoma cell lines suggest that about 15% of these cell lines are not representative of what they are usually assumed to be. [2] A project is currently underway to enumerate and rename contaminated cell lines to avoid errors in research caused by misattribution. [3] [4] [lower-alpha 1]
Contaminated cell lines have been extensively used in research without knowledge of their true character. For example, most if not all research on the endothelium ECV-304 or the megakaryocyte DAMI cell lines has in reality been conducted on bladder carcinoma and erythroleukemia cells, respectively. Thus, all research on endothelium- or megakaryocyte-specific functions utilizing these cell lines has been misguided.
There are two principal ways in which a cell line can become contaminated: cell cultures are often exchanged between research groups; if, during handling, a sample is contaminated and then passed on, subsequent exchanges of cells will lead to the contaminating population being established, although parts of the supposed cell line are still genuine. More serious is contamination at the source: during establishment of the original cell line, some contaminating cells are accidentally introduced into the cultures, where they in time outgrow the desired cells. In this case, the initial testing still suggests that the cell line is genuine and novel, but in reality, it disappeared soon after being established, and all samples of such cell lines are actually the contaminating cells. Lengthy research is required to determine the precise points where cell lines became contaminated. A mix-up rated as contamination could in reality be a simple confusion of two cell lines, but usually contamination is assumed.[ citation needed ]
After a cell line has been discovered to be contaminated, it is usually never used again for research demanding the specific type of cell line they were assumed to be. Most contaminated cell lines are discarded; however, sometimes contaminant cells have acquired novel characteristics (e.g., by mutation or viral transfection, for example the HeLa derivate Det98) and thus constitute a truly novel lineage, so they are not thrown away. If a cell line is thought to be contaminated, it is usually tested for authenticity. [lower-alpha 2] The widespread contamination of HeLa cells was initially recognized by Walter Nelson-Rees using simple Giemsa stain karyotyping under a light microscope. This technique works well in recognizing HeLa because these cells have distinctive chromosome aberrations. Novel cell lines are proliferated and distributed and/or deposited at a safekeeping institution such as the ATCC as soon as possible after establishment to minimize the odds that the line becomes spoiled by contamination. It is considered good practice to periodically check cell lines maintained under laboratory conditions (i.e., not placed in long-term storage) for contamination with HeLa or other common contaminants to ensure that their quality and integrity are maintained.[ citation needed ]
This list, containing 488 cell lines, was last updated on 1 December 2016. [lower-alpha 3]
Cellosaurus also is maintaining a list of "problematic" cell lines. [6] The list is dynamically generated from all cell lines in the database with a comment containing the dedicated words "Problematic cell line". As of 17 January 2017 [update] , the list contains 757 entries.
If no species is given in the individual entries of the following tables, the table's species applies to both the assumed and the actual cell types.
Cell lines marked Virtual in the table below are known instances of contamination at the source; these cell lines became extinct or never existed. Cases where non-contaminated lines are known or strongly suspected to exist are marked Existent.
Supposed cell line | Existent? | Supposed cell type | Real cell line | Real cell type | Reference | Cellosaurus |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GPS-M, GPS-PD | Guinea pig spleen | Strain L-M | Laboratory mouse connective tissue | [8] | CVCL_1R31, CVCL_1R32 | |
LT-1 | Leopard frog renal adenocarcinoma | TH-1/FHM | Eastern box turtle heart / Fathead minnow epithelium | [8] | CVCL_1R49 |
HeLa is an immortalized cell line used in scientific research. It is the oldest human cell line and one of the most commonly used. HeLa cells are durable and prolific, allowing for extensive applications in scientific study. The line is derived from cervical cancer cells taken on 8 February 1951, from Henrietta Lacks, a 31-year-old African American mother of five, after whom the line is named. Lacks died of cancer on 4 October 1951.
Cell culture or tissue culture is the process by which cells are grown under controlled conditions, generally outside of their natural environment. After cells of interest have been isolated from living tissue, they can subsequently be maintained under carefully controlled conditions. They need to be kept at body temperature (37 °C) in an incubator. These conditions vary for each cell type, but generally consist of a suitable vessel with a substrate or rich medium that supplies the essential nutrients (amino acids, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals), growth factors, hormones, and gases (CO2, O2), and regulates the physio-chemical environment (pH buffer, osmotic pressure, temperature). Most cells require a surface or an artificial substrate to form an adherent culture as a monolayer (one single-cell thick), whereas others can be grown free floating in a medium as a suspension culture. This is typically facilitated via use of a liquid, semi-solid, or solid growth medium, such as broth or agar. Tissue culture commonly refers to the culture of animal cells and tissues, with the more specific term plant tissue culture being used for plants. The lifespan of most cells is genetically determined, but some cell-culturing cells have been 'transformed' into immortal cells which will reproduce indefinitely if the optimal conditions are provided.
Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma is a rare cancer of the immune system's T-cells caused by human T cell leukemia/lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1). All ATL cells contain integrated HTLV-1 provirus further supporting that causal role of the virus in the cause of the neoplasm. A small amount of HTLV-1 individuals progress to develop ATL with a long latency period between infection and ATL development. ATL is categorized into 4 subtypes: acute, smoldering, lymphoma-type, chronic. Acute and Lymphoma-type are known to particularity be aggressive with poorer prognosis.
K562 cells were the first human immortalised myelogenous leukemia cell line to be established. K562 cells are of the erythroleukemia type, and the cell line is derived from a 53-year-old female chronic myelogenous leukemia patient in blast crisis. The cells are non-adherent and rounded, are positive for the bcr:abl fusion gene, and bear some proteomic resemblance to both undifferentiated granulocytes and erythrocytes.
Jurkat cells are an immortalized line of human T lymphocyte cells that are used to study acute T cell leukemia, T cell signaling, and the expression of various chemokine receptors susceptible to viral entry, particularly HIV. Jurkat cells can produce interleukin 2, and are used in research involving the susceptibility of cancers to drugs and radiation.
THP-1 is a human monocytic cell line derived from an acute monocytic leukemia patient. It is used to test leukemia cell lines in immunocytochemical analysis of protein-protein interactions, and immunohistochemistry.
CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha is a protein encoded by the CEBPA gene in humans. CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha is a transcription factor involved in the differentiation of certain blood cells. For details on the CCAAT structural motif in gene enhancers and on CCAAT/Enhancer Binding Proteins see the specific page.
T-cell leukemia homeobox protein 3 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the TLX3 gene.
Motor neuron and pancreas homeobox 1 (MNX1), also known as Homeobox HB9 (HLXB9), is a human protein encoded by the MNX1 gene.
B-cell lymphoma/leukemia 11B is a protein that in humans is encoded by the BCL11B gene.
Golgin-45 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the BLZF1 gene.
Protein BEX2 also known as brain-expressed X-linked protein 2 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the BEX2 gene.
A hypomethylating agent is a drug that inhibits DNA methylation: the modification of DNA nucleotides by addition of a methyl group. Because DNA methylation affects cellular function through successive generations of cells without changing the underlying DNA sequence, treatment with a hypomethylating agent is considered a type of epigenetic therapy.
An immortalised cell line is a population of cells from a multicellular organism which would normally not proliferate indefinitely but, due to mutation, have evaded normal cellular senescence and instead can keep undergoing division. The cells can therefore be grown for prolonged periods in vitro. The mutations required for immortality can occur naturally or be intentionally induced for experimental purposes. Immortal cell lines are a very important tool for research into the biochemistry and cell biology of multicellular organisms. Immortalised cell lines have also found uses in biotechnology.
Raji is the first continuous human cell line of hematopoietic origin. The Raji cell line is widely used as a transfection host.
Cellosaurus is an online knowledge base on cell lines, which attempts to document all cell lines used in biomedical research. It is provided by the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB). It is an ELIXIR Core Data Resource as well as an IRDiRC's Recognized Resource. It is the contributing resource for cell lines on the Resource Identification Portal. As of December 2022, it contains information for more than 144,000 cell lines.
The NCI-60 cancer cell line panel is a group of 60 human cancer cell lines used by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for the screening of compounds to detect potential anticancer activity.
TF-1 cells are immortal cell line derived from the human Erythroleukemia used in biomedical research. This cells are proliferatively responsive to interleukin-3 (IL-3) or granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). TF-1 cells have gene fusion of CBFA2T3-ABHD12.
The LL-100 panel is a group of 100 human leukemia and lymphoma cell line, can be used in model of biomedical research.
The HEL cell line is an immortalised cell line from a 30-year old male Acute erythroid leukemia patient, used in biomedical research.