Primary culture and the establishment of cell lines

Abstract A wide range of cultured animal cell lines has been described in the literature and is available from tissue culture collections such as the European Collection of Cell Cultures (ECACC) in the UK and the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) in the USA (see Appendix 2). These lines are from different animal species, including humans, and increasingly insect cell lines have become available as interest grows in the baculovirus expression system for the production of proteins. Such lines, while providing a valuable resource and being appropriate for many uses, are not suitable for all purposes. In this situation the scientist may consider establishing his or her own primary culture and, if feeling particularly adventurous and optimistic, trying to isolate a new cell line. The aim of this chapter is to describe some of the approaches which are available and to indicate, wherever possible, how to go about deciding which method to use.