False human hematopoietic cell lines: cross-contaminations and misinterpretations

Area of Science:

• Cell biology
• Genetics
• Cancer research

Background:

• Cell line cross-contamination is a persistent issue in scientific research, affecting 17-35% of studies.
• Human cell lines are susceptible to both intraspecies and interspecies contamination.
• Misidentification of cell lines can lead to irrelevant research findings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the incidence of cross-contamination in human hematopoietic cell lines.
• To identify common sources of cell line misidentification.
• To emphasize the importance of quality control in cell culture.

Main Methods:

• DNA fingerprinting and cytogenetic analysis were used to detect cross-contamination.
• A combination of immunoprofile, cellular morphology, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) status, and karyotype was used to determine cell line identity.
• 189 human hematopoietic cell lines were analyzed.

Main Results:

• 14.8% of analyzed human hematopoietic cell lines were cross-contaminated.
• Unintended immortalization of non-malignant B cells by EBV (EBV+ B-LCLs) is a frequent source of misidentified cell lines.
• Misinterpretation of EBV+ B-LCLs as malignant cell lines can compromise research on B cell-derived neoplasms.

Conclusions:

• Vigilant quality and identity control procedures are essential due to high incidences of cell line cross-contamination.
• Regular monitoring of cell line identity and characteristics is necessary to prevent invalid research.
• Accurate cell line authentication ensures the reliability of scientific findings.