List of contaminated cell lines
Many cell lines that are widely used for biomedical research have been contaminated and overgrown by other, more aggressive cells. For example, thyroid lines were actually melanoma cells, prostate tissue was actually bladder cancer, and normal uterine cultures were actually breast cancer.[1]
This is a list of cell cultures which have been cross-contaminated and overgrown by other cells. A project is currently underway to enumerate and rename contaminated cell lines to avoid errors in research caused by misattribution (Masters, 2002). 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 (Drexler et al., 2002).
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 turned out to be worthless, except as a warning example.
There are two principal ways a cell line can become contaminated: cell cultures are often exchanged between research groups; if, during handling, a sample gets 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. The initial testing, in this case, still suggested that the cell line is genuine and novel, but in reality, it has disappeared soon after being established and all samples of such cell lines are actually the contaminant cells. It requires lengthy research to determine the precise point where cell lines have become contaminated.
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
Contaminated cell lines should never be used for research demanding the specific type of cell line they are assumed to be, and most of them should ideally be discarded or at least not used in research at all, except when the contaminant cells have acquired novel characteristics (e.g., by mutation or viral transfection, for example the HeLa derivate Det98) and thus constitute a novel lineage after all.
If in doubt, researchers should test cell lines for authenticity; the references listed below contain some papers on how common contaminants can be recognized. It is worth noting that the widespread contamination with 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 should be 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 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 is maintained.
Lists of contaminated cell lines
An updated list can be obtained from International Cell Line Authentication Committee website.[2] The list, last updated on October 10, 2014, has 475 cell lines.
If no species is given in the individual entries, the table's species applies to both the assumed and the actual cell types.
Contaminated human cell lines
| Supposed cell line | Existent? | Supposed cell type | Real cell line | Real cell type | Reference | Cellosaurus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 207 | Existent | pre-B cell leukemia | REH or CCRF-CEM | pre-B cell or T cell leukemia | MacLeod et al. (1999) | CVCL_K034 |
| 2474/90 | Virtual | stomach carcinoma | HT-29 | colon carcinoma | MacLeod et al. (1999) | CVCL_9556 |
| 2563, MAC-21 | lung lymphoma | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees et al. (1981) | CVCL_M629, CVCL_M627 | |
| 2957/90 | Virtual | stomach carcinoma | HT-29 | colon carcinoma | MacLeod et al. (1999) | CVCL_9557 |
| 3051/80 | Virtual | stomach carcinoma | HT-29 | colon carcinoma | MacLeod et al. (1999) | CVCL_9558 |
| ADLC-5M2 | Virtual | lung carcinoma | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | MacLeod et al. (1999) | CVCL_8169 |
| AG-F | Virtual | Hodgkin's disease | CCRF-CEM variant | T cell leukemia | Drexler et al. (1999) | CVCL_D101 |
| AO | Virtual | amnion | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees & Flandermeyer (1976) | CVCL_D631 |
| ARH-77 | Existent? | plasma cell leukemia | unknown | Epstein-Barr virus-transfected B cell lymphoblastoid | Drexler et al. (1999) | CVCL_1072 |
| AV3 | Virtual | amnion | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees & Flandermeyer (1976) | CVCL_1904 |
| BCC1/KMC | Virtual | basal cell carcinoma | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | MacLeod et al. (1999) | CVCL_A033 |
| BE-13 | Virtual | T cell leukemia | PEER | T cell leukemia | Drexler et al. (2003) | CVCL_1081 |
| BJA-B | Existent | Burkitt's lymphoma | REH | pre-B cell leukemia | Drexler et al. (2003) | CVCL_5711 |
| BLIN-1, -1E8 | Virtual | pre-B cell leukemia | NALM-6 | pre-B cell leukemia | Drexler et al. (2003) | CVCL_8173 |
| BM-1604 | Virtual | prostate carcinoma | DU-145 | prostate carcinoma | MacLeod et al. (1999) | CVCL_1968 |
| BrCa 5 | Virtual | breast carcinoma | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees et al. (1981) | CVCL_D280 |
| BT-20 | Existent | breast carcinoma | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees et al. (1981) | CVCL_0178 |
| CaMa (cl 15) | Virtual | breast carcinoma | unknown | Laboratory mouse/Golden hamster cells | Nelson-Rees et al. (1981) | CVCL_1T14 |
| CaOV | Virtual | ovarian carcinoma | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees & Flandermeyer (1976) | CVCL_M091 |
| CaVe | Virtual | stomach carcinoma | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees et al. (1981) | CVCL_8444 |
| Chang liver | liver | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees & Flandermeyer (1976); Lacroix (2008) | CVCL_0238 | |
| CHB | Virtual | astrocytoma | unknown | Laboratory rat glial cells? | Nelson-Rees et al. (1981) | CVCL_1R45 |
| CMP, CMPII C2 | Virtual | intestinal adenocarcinoma | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees & Flandermeyer (1976) | CVCL_D297 CVCL_L115 |
| CO (COLE) | Virtual | Hodgkin's disease | CCRF-CEM | T cell leukemia | Drexler et al. (1999) | CVCL_J653 |
| COLO-818 | Virtual | melanoma | COLO-800 | melanoma | MacLeod et al. (1999) | CVCL_1998 |
| D18T | Virtual | synovial cell | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees & Flandermeyer (1976) | CVCL_8669 |
| DAMI | Virtual | megakaryocytic | HEL | erythroleukemia | MacLeod et al. (1997a, b) | CVCL_4360 |
| DAPT | Virtual | pilocytic astrocytoma | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees & Flandermeyer (1976) | CVCL_D279 |
| Detroit 6 (Det6) | Virtual | sternal marrow | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees & Flandermeyer (1976) | CVCL_2436 |
| Detroit 30A (Det30A) | Virtual | carcinoma ascites | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees & Flandermeyer (1976) | CVCL_8674 |
| Detroit 98 (Det98), Det98/AG, Det98/AH-2, Det98/AHR |
Virtual | sternal marrow | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees & Flandermeyer (1976) | CVCL_8188 |
| DD | Virtual | malignant histiocytosis | K-562 | terminal CML | Drexler et al. (2003) | CVCL_J651 |
| EB33 | Virtual | prostate | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees & Flandermeyer (1976) | CVCL_8344 |
| ECV-304 | Virtual | normal endothelium | T-24 | bladder carcinoma | Dirks et al. (1999); Lacroix (2008) | CVCL_2029 |
| EH | Virtual | hairy cell leukemia | HK | hairy cell leukemia | Drexler et al. (2003) | CVCL_L804 |
| ElCo | Virtual | breast carcinoma | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees & Flandermeyer (1976) | CVCL_8686 |
| EPLC-32M1 | Virtual | lung carcinoma | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | MacLeod et al. (1999) | CVCL_8193 |
| EPLC-65H | Virtual | lung carcinoma | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | MacLeod et al. (1999) | CVCL_8194 |
| ESP1 | Virtual | Sporadic Burkitt's lymphoma | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees & Flandermeyer (1976) | CVCL_8351 |
| EU-1 | Virtual | pre-B cell leukemia | REH | pre-B cell leukemia | Drexler et al. (2003) | CVCL_8857 |
| EU-7 | Virtual | T cell leukemia | CCRF-CEM | T cell leukemia | Drexler et al. (2003) | CVCL_8865 |
| EUE | Virtual | fetal subcutis | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees et al. (1981) | CVCL_7262 |
| EVLC2 | Virtual | transfected umbilical vein endothelium | unknown | non-endothelial? | Unger et al. (2002) | CVCL_8687 |
| F2-4E5 | Virtual | thymus epithelium | SK-HEP-1 | liver carcinoma | MacLeod et al. (1999) | CVCL_A040 |
| F2-5B6 | Virtual | thymus epithelium | SK-HEP-1 | liver carcinoma | MacLeod et al. (1999) | CVCL_A041 |
| F255A4 | Virtual | ??? | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees et al. (1981) | CVCL_8688 |
| FL | Virtual | amnion | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees & Flandermeyer (1976) | CVCL_1905 |
| FQ, RB, RY, SpR | Virtual | Hodgkin's disease spleen | OMK-210 | Three-striped night monkey kidney | Nelson-Rees et al. (1981) | CVCL_L984, CVCL_L985, CVCL_U964, CVCL_L986 |
| G-11 | Virtual | breast carcinoma | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees et al. (1981) | CVCL_U962 |
| GHE | Virtual | astrocytoma | T-24 | bladder carcinoma | MacLeod et al. (1999) | CVCL_8199 |
| Girardi heart | heart | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees & Flandermeyer (1976); Lacroix (2008) | CVCL_2254 | |
| GM01312 | myeloma | unknown | Epstein-Barr virus-transfected B cell lymphoblastoid | Drexler et al. (2003) | CVCL_J111 | |
| GM01500 | myeloma | unknown | Epstein-Barr virus-transfected B cell lymphoblastoid | Drexler et al. (2003) | CVCL_D870 | |
| GREF-X | Virtual | liver myofibroblast | unknown | Laboratory rat cell line | MacLeod et al. (1999) | CVCL_7667 |
| HAEND | liver angiosarcoma | unknown | non-endothelial? | Unger et al. (2002) | CVCL_8690 | |
| hAG | Virtual | adenomatoid goitre | T-24 | bladder carcinoma | MacLeod et al. (1999) | CVCL_8223 |
| HBC | Virtual | infiltrating ductal carcinoma | unknown | Rat cell line | Nelson-Rees et al. (1981) | CVCL_M630 |
| HBT3, HBT-E, HBT-39b | Virtual | breast carcinoma | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees & Flandermeyer (1976) | CVCL_D281, CVCL_M746, CVCL_J652 |
| HCE | Virtual | cervical carcinoma | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees & Flandermeyer (1976) | CVCL_M619 |
| HEK | Virtual | embryonic kidney | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees & Flandermeyer (1976) | CVCL_M624 |
| HEK/HRV | transfected embryonic kidney | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees & Flandermeyer (1976) | CVCL_M625 | |
| HEL-R66 | Virtual | embryonic lung | unknown | Grivet cell line | Nelson-Rees et al. (1981) | CVCL_1R39 |
| HEp-2 | Virtual | larynx epidermoid carcinoma | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Chen (1988); Lacroix (2008) | CVCL_1906 |
| HIMeg-1 | Existent? | CML | HL-60 | myeloblastic leukemia | Drexler et al. (2003) | CVCL_8439 |
| HKB-1 | Virtual | Hodgkin's disease | unknown | unknown | Drexler et al. (2003) | CVCL_5290 |
| HMV-1 | Virtual | melanoma | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | MacLeod et al. (1999) | CVCL_8233 |
| HPB-ALL | Existent | T cell leukemia | Jurkat | T cell leukemia | Drexler et al. (2003) | CVCL_1820 |
| HPB-MLT | Virtual | T cell leukemia | HPB-ALL | T cell leukemia | Drexler et al. (2003) | CVCL_7959 |
| hPTC | Virtual | papillary thyroid carcinoma | unknown | Domestic pig cell line | MacLeod et al. (1999) | CVCL_8224 |
| HS-445 | Hodgkin's disease | unknown | Epstein-Barr virus-transfected B cell lymphoblastoid | Drexler et al. (2003) | CVCL_0761 | |
| HS-Sultan | Virtual | multiple myeloma plasmacytoma | Jijoye | Endemic Burkitt's lymphoma | Drexler et al. (2001) | CVCL_2516 |
| HuK°39 | Virtual | kidney | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees et al. (1981) | CVCL_8283 |
| HuT | Virtual | fibrosarcoma-derived cell line 8387 | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees et al. (1981) | CVCL_M861 |
| IM-9 | multiple myeloma | unknown | Epstein-Barr virus-transfected B cell lymphoblastoid | Drexler et al. (1999); Lacroix (2008) | CVCL_1305 | |
| IMC-2 | Virtual | maxillary carcinoma | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | MacLeod et al. (1999) | CVCL_8245 |
| Intestine 407 (INT 407) | Virtual | intestinal epithelium | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees & Flandermeyer (1976); Lacroix (2008) | CVCL_1907 |
| J96 | Virtual | leukemic blood | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees & Flandermeyer (1976) | CVCL_3990 |
| J111 | Virtual | monocytic leukemia | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees & Flandermeyer (1976); Lacroix (2008) | CVCL_2965 |
| JHC | Virtual | placenta | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees & Flandermeyer (1976) | CVCL_M093 |
| JHT | Virtual | transfected placenta | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees et al. (1981) | CVCL_M620 |
| JOSK-I, -K, -M, -S | Virtual | monocytic leukemia | U-937 | histiocytic lymphoma | MacLeod et al. (1999) | CVCL_2082, CVCL_81411, CVCL_2083, CVCL_8142 |
| K051 | Existent? | myeloblastic leukemia | K-562 | terminal CML | Drexler et al. (2003) | CVCL_3000 |
| Karpas 45 | Existent | T cell leukemia | unknown | unknown | Drexler et al. (1999) | CVCL_1326 |
| KB | Virtual | oral carcinoma | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees & Flandermeyer (1976); Lacroix (2008) | CVCL_0372 |
| KBM-3 | Existent | monocytic leukemia | HL-60 | myeloblastic leukemia | Drexler et al. (2003) | CVCL_A425 |
| KE-37 | Existent | T cell leukemia | CCRF-CEM | T cell leukemia | Drexler et al. (1999) | CVCL_1327 |
| KM-3 | Existent? | pre-B cell leukemia | REH | pre-B cell leukemia | Drexler et al. (1999) | CVCL_0011 |
| KMS-21-BM | Existent? | myeloma | unknown | unknown | Drexler et al. (2003) | CVCL_2991 |
| KPB-M15 | Virtual | terminal CML | KYO-1 | terminal CML | Drexler et al. (2003) | CVCL_5308 |
| KP-P1 | Virtual | prostate carcinoma | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees & Flandermeyer (1976) | CVCL_D283 |
| L132 | Virtual | embryonic lung epithelium | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees & Flandermeyer (1976); Lacroix (2008) | CVCL_1908 |
| L-540 | Existent | Hodgkin's disease | CCRF-CEM | T cell leukemia | Drexler et al. (2003) | CVCL_1362 |
| L-591 | Existent? | Hodgkin's disease | unknown | Epstein-Barr virus-transfected B cell lymphoblastoid | Drexler et al. (2003) | CVCL_1867 |
| LED-Ti | cervical carcinoma | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees et al. (1981) | CVCL_8438 | |
| LR10.6 | Virtual | pre-B cell leukemia | NALM-6 | pre-B cell leukemia | MacLeod et al. (1999) | CVCL_8260 |
| LU | Virtual | fetal lung | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees et al. (1981) | CVCL_M631 |
| LU 106 | Virtual | embryonic lung | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees et al. (1981) | CVCL_8892 |
| M10T | Virtual | synovial cell | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees & Flandermeyer (1976) | CVCL_M094 |
| MA160 | Virtual | prostate | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees & Flandermeyer (1976) | CVCL_8261 |
| MaTu | Virtual | breast carcinoma | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | MacLeod et al. (1999) | CVCL_5328 |
| MB-02 | Existent | megakaryoblastic leukemia | HU-3 | megakaryoblastic leukemia | Drexler et al. (1999) | CVCL_7075 |
| MC-4000 | Virtual | breast carcinoma | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | MacLeod et al. (1999) | CVCL_5331 |
| MC/CAR | plasma cell leukemia | unknown | Epstein-Barr virus-transfected B cell lymphoblastoid | Drexler et al. (1999) | CVCL_1397 | |
| McCoy | Virtual | synovial cell | Strain L | Laboratory mouse connective tissue | Nelson-Rees & Flandermeyer (1976) | CVCL_3742 |
| MDA-MB-435 | Virtual | breast carcinoma | M14 | melanoma | Ellison et al. J Clin Pathol Mol Pathol 55, 294-9; Lacroix (2008) | CVCL_0417 |
| MDS | Virtual | monocytic leukemia | Jurkat | T cell leukemia | Drexler et al. (2003) | CVCL_L807 |
| MHH-225 | Existent? | megakaryoblastic leukemia | Jurkat | T cell leukemia | Drexler et al. (2003) | CVCL_8894 |
| Minnesota EE | Virtual | esophageal epithelium | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees & Flandermeyer (1976) | CVCL_8264 |
| MKB-1 | Virtual | T cell leukemia | CCRF-CEM | T cell leukemia | MacLeod et al. (1999) | CVCL_8265 |
| MOBS-1 | Virtual | monocytic leukemia | U-937 | histiocytic lymphoma | Drexler et al. (1999) | CVCL_8442 |
| MOLT-15 | Virtual | T cell leukemia | CTV-1 | monocytic leukemia | MacLeod et al. (1999) | CVCL_8150 |
| MT-1 | Virtual | breast carcinoma | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | MacLeod et al. (1999); Lacroix (2008) | CVCL_0441 |
| MUTZ-1 | Virtual | T cell leukemia | Namalwa | Burkitt's lymphoma | Drexler et al. (1999) | CVCL_1431 |
| NCTC2544, NCTC3075 | Virtual | skin epithelium | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees & Flandermeyer (1976); Lacroix (2008) | CVCL_0461, CVCL_8156 |
| NOI-90 | Virtual | natural killer cell lymphoma | REH | pre-B cell leukemia | Drexler et al. (2003) | CVCL_8462 |
| OE | Virtual | endometrium | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees & Flandermeyer (1976) | CVCL_J350 |
| OU-AML-1, -2. -3, -4, -5, -6, -7, -8 | Virtual | acute myeloid leukemia | OCI/AML2 | monocytic leukemia | Drexler et al. (2003) | CVCL_8391, CVCL_8392, CVCL_8393, CVCL_8394, CVCL_8395, CVCL_8396, CVCL_8397, CVCL_8398 |
| P1-1A3 | Virtual | thymus epithelium | SK-HEP-1 | liver carcinoma | MacLeod et al. (1999) | CVCL_A042 |
| P1-4D6 | Virtual | thymus epithelium | SK-HEP-1 | liver carcinoma | MacLeod et al. (1999) | CVCL_A046 |
| P39/Tsugane | Existent | myeloblastic leukemia | HL-60 | myeloblastic leukemia | Drexler et al. (2003) | CVCL_0478 |
| PBEI | Virtual | pre-B cell leukemia | NALM-6 | pre-B cell leukemia | MacLeod et al. (1999) | CVCL_8270 |
| PLB-985 | Virtual | monocytic leukemia | HL-60 | myeloblastic leukemia | Drexler et al. (2003) | CVCL_2162 |
| RAMAK-1 | Virtual | muscle synovium | T-24 | bladder carcinoma | MacLeod et al. (1999) | CVCL_8271 |
| RBHF-1 | Virtual | hepatoma | unknown | non-human mammal cell line | MacLeod et al. (1999) | CVCL_Y465 |
| RC-2A | Existent? | monocytic leukemia | CCRF-CEM | T cell leukemia | Drexler et al. (1999) | CVCL_L808 |
| RED-3 | Virtual | acute myeloid leukemia | HL-60 | myeloblastic leukemia | Drexler et al. (2003) | CVCL_8907 |
| REH-6 | Virtual | pre-B cell leukemia | unknown | Laboratory mouse cell line | Drexler et al. (1999) | CVCL_L803 |
| RM-10 | Virtual | terminal CML | K-562 | terminal CML | Drexler et al. (1999) | CVCL_8463 |
| RPMI-6666 | Hodgkin's disease | unknown | Epstein-Barr virus-transfected B cell lymphoblastoid | Drexler et al. (2003) | CVCL_1665 | |
| RPMI-8402 | Existent | T cell leukemia | unknown | unknown | Drexler et al. (1999); Lacroix (2008) | CVCL_1667 |
| RS-1 | Existent? | megakaryoblastic leukemia | K-562 | terminal CML | Drexler et al. (2003) | CVCL_8423 |
| Rsp | Hodgkin's disease | unknown | Epstein-Barr virus-transfected B cell lymphoblastoid | Drexler et al. (2003) | CVCL_M628 | |
| RT4 | Existant | bladder carcinoma | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees & Flandermeyer (1976) | CVCL_0036 |
| SA4 | Virtual | liposarcoma | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees & Flandermeyer (1976) | CVCL_8910 |
| SAM-1 | Virtual | terminal CML | K-562 | terminal CML | Drexler et al. (2003) | CVCL_8440 |
| SBC-2 | Virtual | bladder carcinoma | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | MacLeod et al. (1999) | CVCL_1677 |
| SBC-7 | Virtual | bladder carcinoma | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | MacLeod et al. (1999) | CVCL_1680 |
| SCLC-16H, -24H | Virtual | small cell lung carcinoma | SCLC-21/22H | small cell lung carcinoma | MacLeod et al. (1999) | CVCL_X025, CVCL_8262 |
| SH-2 | Virtual | breast carcinoma | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees & Flandermeyer (1976) | CVCL_M622 |
| SH-3 | Virtual | breast carcinoma | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees & Flandermeyer (1976) | CVCL_M383 |
| SPI-801, -802 | Virtual | T cell leukemia | K-562 | terminal CML | MacLeod et al. (1999) | CVCL_2200, CVCL_2201 |
| SR-91 | Virtual | T cell leukemia | AML-193 | monocytic leukemia | Drexler et al. (2003) | CVCL_8441 |
| SW-527 | Virtual | tumor | SW-480/SW-620 | colon adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees et al. (1981) | CVCL_3799 |
| SW-598 | Virtual | tumor | SW-480/SW-620 | colon adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees et al. (1981) | CVCL_F649 |
| SW-608 | Virtual | tumor | SW-480/SW-620 | colon adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees et al. (1981) | CVCL_F653 |
| SW-613 | Virtual | tumor | SW-480/SW-620 | colon adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees et al. (1981) | CVCL_F650 |
| SW-732 | Virtual | tumor | SW-480/SW-620 | colon adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees et al. (1981) | CVCL_F651 |
| SW-733 | Virtual | tumor | SW-480/SW-620 | colon adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees et al. (1981) | CVCL_F652 |
| T-1 | Virtual | kidney | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees et al. (1981) | CVCL_M858 |
| T-9 | Virtual | transfected somatic | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees & Flandermeyer (1976) | CVCL_M092 |
| T-33 | Existent? | terminal CML | K-562 | terminal CML | Drexler et al. (2003) | CVCL_8427 |
| TDL-1, TDL-2 | Virtual | tonsil lymphoid | P3JHR-1 | Burkitt's lymphoma | Nelson-Rees et al. (1981) | CVCL_8428, CVCL_8429 |
| TDL-3 | Virtual | tonsil lymphoid | RPMI-1788 | lymphoblastoid | Nelson-Rees et al. (1981) | CVCL_8430 |
| TDL-4 | Virtual | tonsil lymphoid | Raji | Burkitt's lymphoma | Nelson-Rees et al. (1981) | CVCL_8431 |
| TI-1 | Virtual | myeloblastic leukemia | K-562 | terminal CML | Drexler et al. (2003) | CVCL_L806 |
| TMM | terminal CML | unknown | Epstein-Barr virus-transfected B cell lymphoblastoid | Drexler et al. (1999) | CVCL_1894 | |
| TuWi | Hela | Wilms' Tumor | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees & Flandermeyer (1976) | CVCL_8275 |
| U-937 | Existent | histiocytic lymphoma | unknown | unknown | Drexler et al. (1999) | CVCL_0007 |
| UMJF-2 | myeloma | unknown | Epstein-Barr virus-transfected B cell lymphoblastoid | Drexler et al. (2003) | CVCL_M548 | |
| UT-7 | Existent | histiocytic lymphoma | unknown | unknown | Drexler et al. (1999) | CVCL_2233 |
| UTMB-460 | Virtual | B cell | CCRF-CEM | T cell leukemia | Drexler et al. (2003) | CVCL_8276 |
| WISH | Virtual | amnion | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees & Flandermeyer (1976); Lacroix (2008) | CVCL_1909 |
| Wong-Kilbourne | Virtual | conjunctiva | HeLa | cervical adenocarcinoma | Nelson-Rees & Flandermeyer (1976); Lacroix (2008) | CVCL_2764 |
| WSU-ALCL | Virtual | Anaplastic large cell lymphoma | CCRF-CEM | T cell leukemia | Drexler et al. (2003) | CVCL_A036 |
| WSU-CLL | Virtual | B cell leukemia | REH | pre-B cell leukemia | Drexler et al. (2002a) | CVCL_A049 |
| YAA | Virtual | monocyte | U-937 | histiocytic lymphoma | Drexler et al. (2003) | CVCL_8466 |
| YAP | Virtual | monocyte | U-937 | histiocytic lymphoma | Drexler et al. (2003) | CVCL_8467 |
| YJ | Virtual | monocytic leukemia | HL-60 | myeloblastic leukemia | Drexler et al. (2003) | CVCL_8931 |
Contaminated non-human cell lines
| Supposed cell line | Extant? | Supposed cell type | Real cell line | Real cell type | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aedes vexans, Culiseta inornata, Aedes aegypti Suitor's clone |
N/A | unknown | Emperor Gum Moth cell line | Nelson-Rees et al. (1981) | |
| GPS-M, GPS-PD | Guinea pig spleen | Strain L-M | Laboratory mouse connective tissue | Nelson-Rees et al. (1981) | |
| LT-1 | Leopard frog renal adenocarcinoma | TH-1/FHM | Eastern box turtle heart / Fathead minnow epithelium | Nelson-Rees et al. (1981) |
References
- ^ Jill Neimark (27 February 2015). "Line of attack". Science. 347 (6225): 938–940. doi:10.1126/science.347.6225.938.
- ^ http://iclac.org/wp-content/uploads/Cross-Contaminations-v7_2.pdf
- Chen, T. R. (1988): Re-evaluation of HeLa, HeLa S3, and Hep-2 karyotypes. Cytogenetics and Cell Genetics 48: 19-24. HTML abstract
- Dirks, Willy G.; MacLeod, Roderick A. F. & Drexler, Hans G. (1999): ECV304 (endothelial) is really T24 (bladder carcinoma): cell line cross-contamination at source. In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology 35: 558–559.
- Drexler, Hans G.; Dirks, Willy G. & MacLeod, Roderick A. F. (1999): False human hematopoietic cell lines: cross-contaminations and misinterpretations. Leukemia 13: 1601–1607. HTML abstract
- Drexler, Hans G.; MacLeod, Roderick A. F. & Dirks, Willy G. (2001): Cross-contamination: HS-Sultan is not a myeloma but a Burkitt lymphoma cell line. Blood 98: 3495–3496. PDF fulltext
- Drexler, Hans G.; Quentmeier, H.; Dirks, Willy G.; Uphoff, Cord C. & MacLeod, Roderick A. F. (2002a): DNA profiling and cytogenetic analysis of cell line WSU-CLL reveal cross-contamination with cell line REH (pre B-ALL). Leukemia 16: 1868–1870. doi:10.1038/sj.leu.2402610 (HTML abstract)
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- Drexler, Hans G.; Dirks, Willy G.; Matsuo, Y. & MacLeod, Roderick A. F. (2003): False leukemia–lymphoma cell lines: an update on over 500 cell lines. Leukemia 17: 416–426. doi:10.1038/sj.leu.2402799 (HTML abstract) HTML partial fulltext
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- MacLeod, Roderick A. F.; Dirks, Willy G.& Drexler, Hans G. (1997a): Early Contamination of the Dami Cell Line by HEL. Blood 90: 2850-2851. PDF fulltext
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- Nelson-Rees, W. A. & Flandermeyer, R. R. (1976): HeLa cultures defined. Science 191: 96–98. HTML abstract
- Nelson-Rees, W. A.; Daniels, D. W. & Flandermeyer, R. R. (1981): Cross-contamination of cells in culture. Science 212: 446–452. doi:10.1126/science.6451928 (HTML abstract)
- Unger, Ronald E.; Krump-Konvalinkova, V.; Peters, K. & Kirkpatrick, C. J. (2002): In Vitro Expression of the Endothelial Phenotype: Comparative Study of Primary Isolated Cells and Cell Lines, Including the Novel Cell Line HPMEC-ST1.6R. Microvascular Research 64: 384–397. Pubmed
External links
- Cellosaurus list of problematics (contaminated/misidentified) cell lines