SVG p12 Cells

SVG p12 is a human fetal glial cell line originally derived from fetal brain tissue and immortalized via transformation with SV40 large T antigen. It has been widely used as a model for studying neurotropic polyomaviruses, particularly JC polyomavirus (JCPyV), due to its glial origin and high permissiveness for viral infection. SVG p12 retains characteristics of astrocytic lineage and supports productive infection and propagation of JCPyV, making it a standard in vitro system for studying viral tropism, replication, and pathogenesis in glial cells.

However, subsequent analysis has revealed that SVG p12 was contaminated with BK polyomavirus (BKPyV) after being deposited into cell repositories. Detection of BKPyV DNA and infectious virus in SVG p12 lines acquired from some culture collections has raised concerns regarding the integrity of experimental data derived from these cells. The contamination does not extend to all SVG-derived lines, as clones such as SVG-A have tested negative for BKPyV, suggesting that the contamination occurred during handling or distribution, rather than during the original derivation of the cell line.

Due to its established use and robust responsiveness to polyomavirus infection, SVG p12 remains a key tool in virology research, particularly in the context of human neurovirology. Nevertheless, it is now recommended that researchers using this cell line verify the absence of BKPyV contamination in their stocks to ensure experimental reproducibility and data reliability.