Abstract
The misidentification of cell lines has been a problem for decades. In recent years, genotyping of human cell lines is becoming more common utilizing assays that target short tandem repeat (STR) markers in the human genome. Currently there are no methods to identify non-human cell lines. A multiplex PCR assay utilizing STR markers was developed for the authentication of mouse cell lines. Labeled forward primers were used to amplify the targeted STR marker region and amplified products were separated using a 16-capillary electrophoresis instrument. Allele distributions were obtained from analyzing 32 mouse samples, all resulting in unique genetic profiles. Correlations between allele fragment length and repeat number were confirmed with sequencing. The mouse multiplex assay is successful in discriminating between mouse cell lines that are not derived from the same individual, as this would result in identical genetic profiles.

Molecular Biology