Human beta cell line meta-data

This document describes reporting requirements for human beta cell lines including EndoC-Bh1, EndoC-Bh2, EndoC-Bh3, and EndoC-Bh5.

Cell Line Descriptions

All cell lines were derived from the same 9-week-old female fetal pancreas donor. However, each cell line has distinct immortalization properties, functional characteristics, and applications in diabetes research and drug discovery.

EndoC-Bh1

• Source Paper: Ravassard et al, JCI 2011
• Immortalization: Constitutively expresses the immortalizing transgenes (SV40 large T antigen and hTERT).
• Properties:
  • Robust, well-characterized, continuously proliferating human β-cell line
  • Useful for high-throughput screening, stable CRISPR line generation, and electrophysiology
  • Widely used in research labs
  • Available commercially and also distributed prior to commercialization via an MTA
  • Can be grown with commercial media or in-house media

EndoC-Bh2

• Source Paper: Scharfmann et al, JCI 2014
• Immortalization: Conditionally immortalized line (Cre-lox based excision), allowing return toward a non-proliferative, more mature state.
• Properties:
  • Enables switching cells to a mature state
  • Useful for studying more primary-like beta cell biology

EndoC-Bh3

• Source Paper: Benazra et al, Mol Metab 2015
• Immortalization: Excisable/conditional line with drug-inducible excision (tamoxifen-responsive), making removal of immortalizing transgenes efficient.
• Properties:
  • Drug-inducible excision enables rapid generation of non-proliferative, high–insulin content beta cells

EndoC-Bh5

• Source Paper: Blanchi et al, Mol Metab 2023
• Immortalization: Conditionally immortalized line where the immortalizing cassette is excised (Cre-lox based) prior to distribution.
• Properties:
  • Pre-excised cells provide high-purity, primary-like beta cells
  • More standardized and consistent for experiments
  • More expensive than other lines and cannot be expanded

Meta-Data Fields for Representing Human Beta Cell Lines

Cell Line Description

• Description – text-based description of the cell line biosample (e.g., EndoC-Bh1 cells cultured with proinflammatory cytokines for 24hr) (REQUIRED)
• Sample terms – ontology term identifying the cell line (e.g., CVCL_IS71, CVCL_L909, CVCL_IS72) (REQUIRED)
• Sample name – text-based identifier of the cell line (e.g., EndoC-Bh1, EndoC-Bh2, EndoC-Bh3) (REQUIRED)
• Sources – originating vendor that the cell line is obtained from (REQUIRED)
• Year obtained – year cells were originally obtained from vendor
• Classification – type of cell (cell line is the only option; for schema compatibility) (REQUIRED)
• Lot ID – lot identifier provided by vendor
• Product ID – product identifier provided by vendor
• Vendor passage – passage number of cells received from vendor
• Documents – optional documents providing additional information

Cell Line Biosample Description

• Coating condition – coating buffer components and incubation time
• Excision status – excision status of immortalization cassette (e.g., excised, non-excised)
• Growth medium – medium used in vitro to culture cells
• Cell density – density used to culture cells
• Passage number – passages from source
• Date obtained – date sample obtained from source
• Date harvested – date sample harvested for assay
• Modifications – modifications applied (e.g., shRNA, CRISPR, CRISPRi)
• Treatments – treatments applied (e.g., cytokines, dsRNA)
• Biomarkers – markers associated with biosample
• Authentication – authentication method used
• File sets – linked file sets

Cell Line Biosample Relationship Description

• Originated from – link to another biosample this originated from (e.g., differentiation, reprogramming, genetic modification)
• Part of – link to a larger biosample this is a part of (e.g., aliquots of a growth)
• Pooled from – list of biosamples pooled to create this one

Biosample Genetic Manipulations

• Construct library sets – list of vectors introduced before assay
• Nucleic acid delivery – delivery method (e.g., lentiviral transduction, transfection)
• Time post delivery – time from construct delivery to assay
• Time post delivery units – units for the above

External References

• URL – external resources
• Publications – list of PMIDs of related publications

Additional Info

• Award – grant associated with submission (REQUIRED)
• Lab – lab associated with submission (REQUIRED)
• Donor – donor associated with cell line (REQUIRED but omitted since same for all)