Practice question

Vero cell line originates from kidney epithelial tissue excised from adult African green monkey Chlorocebus aethiops, formerly Cercopithecus aethiops, at Chiba University Japan in 1962 by Yasumura and Kawakita. Designation Vero derived from Esperanto phrase Verda Reno meaning green kidney. Cells exhibit epithelial-like cobblestone morphology, anchorage dependence, contact inhibition, and were initially diploid but later became aneuploid after continuous passage. Critical molecular feature is homozygous deletion of approximately 9 megabase region on chromosome 12 encoding type I interferon gene cluster including IFNA and IFNB, disabling interferonbeta production and interferonstimulated gene response to viral infection. This interferon deficiency renders Vero highly permissive to wide range of viruses including poliovirus, measles, rabies, and SARS coronavirus while lacking adventitious retroviruses. Sublineages such as Vero E6 express high levels of ACE2 receptor facilitating SARS-CoV-2 isolation, and Vero 76 useful for hemorrhagic fever viruses. WHO endorsed Vero for vaccine manufacture due to safety profile. Authentication of Vero sublineages via genome sequencing prevents misidentification affecting vaccine lot consistency. This knowledge strengthens laboratory safety, protocol reproducibility, and regulatory compliance critical for translational research and clinical applications, ensuring reliable data and workforce protection.