Skip to content
Login Register

#Vero cells

2 public questions tagged with this topic.

Animal Tissue Culture 3

Vero cells are especially useful for:

Vero cells are particularly valuable for vaccine production and virology because deletion of interferon alpha/beta genes prevents establishment of antiviral state normally triggered by viral RNA sensing via RIG-I and MDA5 activating IRF3. Consequently viruses replicate to high titers enabling efficient bulk production under Good Manufacturing Practice. Poliovirus inactivated polio vaccine, rabies vaccine, Japanese encephalitis vaccine, and rotavirus vaccine are produced in Vero microcarrier cultures. Regulatory agencies accept Vero because extensive documentation demonstrates absence of tumorigenicity at low passages and effective removal of host cell DNA during downstream purification using benzonase and chromatography. Compared to human diploid strains MRC-5 with limited lifespan of 42 doublings, Vero provides indefinite expansion lowering costs. In diagnostic virology, Vero supports plaque assays for virus titration due to clear cytopathic effect. Limitations include non-human glycosylation patterns differing in sialic acid linkages, making them less ideal for studies requiring authentic human post-translational modifications, where HEK293 or HepG2 lines are preferred for metabolism and protein folding investigations.

Ref: WHO Requirements for Vero cells for vaccine production TRS 978 Annex 3; Barrett et al Biologicals 2009 Vero interferon deficiency vaccine.

View Details
Animal Tissue Culture 3

Vero cells originate from:

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.

Ref: Yasumura Y & Kawakita Y Nippon Rinsho 1963 Vero African green monkey kidney; Desmyter et al J Virol 1968 Interferon deficiency in Vero.

View Details