Species Identification of Animal Cell Strains by Immunofluorescence

• DOI: 10.1038/199616b0
• Publication Date: 2006-07-05T16:51:02Z
• Authors: W. F. SIMPSON; C. S. STULBERG
• Keywords: Antigen-Antibody Reactions; Tissue Culture Techniques; Anatomy, Comparative; Mice; Research Design; Research; Guinea Pigs; Animals; Fluorescent Antibody Technique; Haplorhini; Rabbits; Rats

ANIMAL cells cultivated in vitro can be readily identified with respect to their species of origin by several immunologic procedures, including: haemagglutination1, and mixed cell agglutination2, both involving detection of species antigens common to erythrocytes and cultured cells, and an immunofluorescence method3, which provides direct visualization of species-specific antigen–antibody reactions on cell surfaces. By means of these procedures, a number of established cell lines have been shown to be of a species other than that originally claimed4,5, a finding obviously due to heterologous cell contamination and overgrowth or other laboratory errors.