Characterized Cell Line Core Facility
About Cell Line Validation
Between 18 and 36% of cell lines are either misidentified or cross-contaminated (Ref 1). In the NCI60 set, three lines are duplicates (MDAMB435/M14, MCF7-ADR/OVCAR8 and U373/SNB1.9). Genetic drift has introduced mutations in key regulatory pathways, leading to contradictory results from different laboratories. A recent notice from NIH requires cell line validation for grant applications to be considered of the highest quality2. Journals such as Science, Nature and PNAS are adopting requirements for cell line validation for publication. Cell lines that have been extensively characterized at the DNA, RNA and protein levels will allow investigators to choose the correct cell line for their research. Pre-characterized cell lines will decrease the cost to researchers since this will eliminate repeat analysis. Thus, cell line validation is a critical issue for both scientific publications and grant applications.
References
- Lacroix, M., Persistent use of "false" cell lines. International Journal of Cancer, 2008. 122(1): p. 1-4.
- Bravo, N.R. and M. Gottesman. Notice Regarding Authentication of Cultured Cell Lines. 2007 [cited 2008 1/28/08].
- Rae, J.M., et al., MDA-MB-435 cells are derived from M14 melanoma cells--a loss for breast cancer, but a boon for melanoma research. Breast Cancer Research & Treatment, 2007. 104(1): p. 13-9.
- Chatterjee, R., Cell biology. Cases of mistaken identity. Science, 2007. 315(5814): p. 928-31.
- Drexler, H.G., et al., False leukemia-lymphoma cell lines: an update on over 500 cell lines. Leukemia, 2003. 17(2): p. 416-26.
- MacLeod, R.A., et al., Widespread intraspecies cross-contamination of human tumor cell lines arising at source. International Journal of Cancer, 1999. 83(4): p. 555-63.
Core Grant Citation
This facility is funded by NCI # CA16672. Publications should cite the Core grant in the acknowledgment section, if publications use data generated by the Core facility. Two copies of the publication acknowledging the Core grant should also be submitted to the facility at Unit 950.