HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 2005-0452v1 24/12/2677    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints/Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Ware, C. B. Articles by Blau, C. A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Ware, C. B. Articles by Blau, C. A.

EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS: CHARACTERIZATION SERIES

A Comparison of NIH-Approved Human ESC Lines

^aDepartment of Comparative Medicine and
^bDivision of Hematology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA

Key Words. Human embryonic stem cell • Doubling time • Cloning • Transfection

Correspondence: Carol B. Ware, Ph.D., University of Washington, Box 357190, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA. Telephone: 206-616-5143; Fax: 206-685-3006; e-mail: cware{at}u.washington.edu

Received September 16, 2005; accepted for publication July 27, 2006.
First published online in STEM CELLS EXPRESS   August 17, 2006.



In October 2003, the NIH established three extramural "Exploratory Centers for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research." Our center acquired 15 of the 22 NIH-approved cell lines. Lines were tested for: (a) freedom from mycoplasma contamination; (b) appropriate pattern of gene expression during self-renewal and differentiation; (c) ability to adapt to uniform culture conditions; (d) ability to grow at clonal densities; (e) karyotype; (f) growth efficiency; and (g) efficiency of stable transfection following electroporation. One line harbored mycoplasma. Ten lines were converted to uniform conditions. Nine lines were fully characterized. Human ESC (hESC) lines varied markedly with respect to growth efficiency as measured by the amount of time it took to plate and double (31–57 hours), cloning efficiency (0.8%–9.2%), and stable transfection rates following electroporation (0%–53% relative to a standard mouse ESC line). One hESC line had an unstable karyotype at an early passage. Modifications of the proposed Material Transfer Agreements with hESC suppliers were required to improve accessibility to hESC lines by local researchers. The NIH-approved hESC lines vary in their behavior in culture. Many hESC lines can be maintained using culture conditions less onerous than those recommended by their suppliers. Intellectual property issues pose a significant obstacle to research using NIH-approved hESC lines.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. Bar, S. K. Wyman, B. R. Fritz, J. Qi, K. S. Garg, R. K. Parkin, E. M. Kroh, A. Bendoraite, P. S. Mitchell, A. M. Nelson, et al. MicroRNA Discovery and Profiling in Human Embryonic Stem Cells by Deep Sequencing of Small RNA Libraries Stem Cells, October 1, 2008; 26(10): 2496 - 2505. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. S. Navara, J. D. Mich-Basso, C. J. Redinger, A. Ben-Yehudah, E. Jacoby, E. Kovkarova-Naumovski, M. Sukhwani, K. Orwig, N. Kaminski, C. A. Castro, et al. Pedigreed Primate Embryonic Stem Cells Express Homogeneous Familial Gene Profiles Stem Cells, November 1, 2007; 25(11): 2695 - 2704. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Ilancheran, A. Michalska, G. Peh, E. M Wallace, M. Pera, and U. Manuelpillai Stem Cells Derived from Human Fetal Membranes Display Multilineage Differentiation Potential Biol Reprod, September 1, 2007; 77(3): 577 - 588. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. Ellerstrom, R. Strehl, K. Noaksson, J. Hyllner, and H. Semb Facilitated Expansion of Human Embryonic Stem Cells by Single-Cell Enzymatic Dissociation Stem Cells, July 1, 2007; 25(7): 1690 - 1696. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]