Identity tests: determination of cell line cross-contamination

Cytotechnology. 2006 Jun;51(2):45-50. doi: 10.1007/s10616-006-9013-8. Epub 2006 Aug 3.

Abstract

Cell line cross-contamination is a phenomenon that arises as a result of the continuous cell line culture. It has been estimated that around 20% of the cell lines are misidentified, therefore it is necessary to carry out quality control tests for the detection of this issue. Since cell line cross-contamination discovery, different methods have been applied, such as isoenzyme analysis for inter-species cross-contamination; HLA typing, and DNA fingerprinting using short tandem repeat and a variable number of tandem repeat for intra-species cross-contamination. The cell banks in this sense represent the organizations responsible for guaranteeing the authenticity of cell lines for future research and clinical uses.