ATCC and NIST Partnership Advances Mouse Cell Line Authentication

Scientists can now confirm the identify of mouse cell lines to ensure the integrity of their research thanks to a partnership between ATCC and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Together, with the help of researchers in 10 independent laboratories, ATCC and NIST validated the mouse short tandem repeat (STR) profiling service that serves as the global standard for mouse cell line authentication. NIST, an agency of the United States Department of Commerce, worked with ATCC to set this standard by inviting eligible organizations to collaborate as part of an umbrella organization known as the Mouse Cell Line Authentication Consortium.

The group:

• Performed validation testing to determine the informativeness of 19 NIST-identified STR markers to discriminate among mouse cell lines.
• Collected and published concordance data for the most commonly used mouse cell lines.
• Deposited STR profiles for mouse cell lines into the National Center for Biotechnology Information public database.
• Published a written consensus for mouse cell line authentication by identity testing.

The mouse STR profiling service that resulted from this work uses the unique short tandem repeat markers identified by NIST and tested by the consortium for different mouse cell lines to validate the authenticity of any mouse cell line. Researchers can order the FTA Sample Collection Kit for Mouse Cell Authentication Service and then spot their cells on a supplied Whatman FTA card, dry the card, and mail it to ATCC for analysis and processing. Scientists receive results within three to five business days.

We established a global standard for mouse cell line authentication to ensure scientists’ research materials were correctly identified and uncorrupted to improve traceability and reproducibility.