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Short answer: MDCK stands for Madin-Darby canine kidney. It is an adherent epithelial cell line that S.H. Madin and N.B. Darby derived in 1958 from the kidney of an adult female cocker spaniel. Labs use it mainly for influenza virus work and for epithelial permeability assays. The original line is a mixture of cell types, so the exact subline and source matter.
What does MDCK mean?
MDCK abbreviates Madin-Darby canine kidney, named for the two researchers credited by ATCC with deriving the line in 1958. ATCC lists the cells (catalog CCL-34, also called NBL-2) as isolated from normal kidney of an adult female cocker spaniel, with epithelial morphology and adherent growth. Cellosaurus classes the line as spontaneously immortalized and as a dog (Canis lupus familiaris) cell line.
What are the key characteristics of the MDCK cell line?
- Origin: canine (cocker spaniel) kidney, female adult; epithelial and adherent (ATCC CCL-34, read 2026-11-07).
- Immortalization: spontaneous (Cellosaurus, read 2026-11-07).
- Culture conditions listed by ATCC: EMEM with 10% fetal bovine serum, 37 °C, 5% CO2; subculture ratios of 1:2 to 1:6; medium renewal every 2 to 3 days; cryopreservation with 5% DMSO and storage in vapor-phase liquid nitrogen.
- Karyotype: ATCC gives a modal chromosome number of 78, with ranges of 77 to 80 and 87 to 90.
- Applications ATCC lists: influenza research, use as a transfection host, toxicology, bioproduction and high-throughput screening.
The biosafety level for this product depends on the supplier’s data sheet for the lot you hold. Follow that sheet and your institution’s biosafety committee rather than a general web page.
Cell line types and the most famous human line
What are the three types of cell lines?
There is no single official three-way split. Cell lines are commonly described as finite (limited number of divisions) or continuous (immortalized), and some textbooks add a third group for stem-cell-derived lines. MDCK belongs to the continuous group because Cellosaurus records it as spontaneously immortalized.
What is the most famous human cell line?
HeLa is the line most often cited in that role. Its origin and the ethics around it are covered in HeLa cells origin. MDCK is canine, not human.
Sublines and heterogeneity
Cellosaurus lists MDCK-II (CVCL_0424) as a derivative of the parent MDCK line (CVCL_0422) and records these synonyms: MDCK II, MDCKII, MDCK2 and MDCK Type II. Registry entries also exist for engineered derivatives, including claudin-2 and claudin-4 knockouts, Rab knockouts, MDR1 and MRP2 lines, MDCK-A3 and MDCK-17 clones.
| Name seen in papers or catalogs | What it refers to (source) |
|---|---|
| MDCK, NBL-2 | The ATCC CCL-34 line (ATCC) |
| MDCK-II, MDCK II, MDCKII, MDCK2, MDCK Type II | One subline, Cellosaurus CVCL_0424; parent is MDCK, CVCL_0422 (Cellosaurus) |
| MDR1, MRP2, claudin and Rab knockout lines | Engineered derivatives listed under MDCK-II (Cellosaurus) |
Lugovtsev, Melnyk and Weir (PLoS ONE, 2013) cloned cells from an ATCC MDCK line and found three morphotypes under light microscopy. All clones were susceptible to influenza A (H1N1, H1N1pdm09, H3N2, H5N1) and influenza B, but they differed in how they supported replication:
| Clone group | Multicycle influenza replication without added trypsin |
|---|---|
| Type-1 clones | Supported it |
| Type-2 clones | Did not; the study reports deficient hemagglutinin cleavage |
The same study reported that growth kinetics and plaque size varied by clone. Its conclusion is that the original MDCK line is a mix of cell types that differ in their ability to support influenza replication.
Where it matters for labs
Influenza virus work
Cellosaurus cites influenza virus isolation and propagation for vaccine manufacturing among MDCK uses, and assigns MDCK-II to its vaccine-production cell line group. Because clones differ in trypsin dependence, a method that omits trypsin may behave differently on a different MDCK stock.
Permeability assays
Cellosaurus also cites permeability assays using MDCK cells with low efflux. For the alternative human intestinal model, see Caco-2 permeability assay and the Caco-2 cell line profile.
A reporting checklist built from the sources above
- Name the exact line (MDCK or MDCK-II, or the named derivative) and the supplier and catalog number, for example ATCC CCL-34 or Cellosaurus CVCL_0424. Citing an identifier is described in RRID.
- Record the clone or passage when you know it, since clones differ in influenza behavior.
- Record the culture medium, serum and incubation conditions you actually used.
- Plan authentication and contamination testing: see authentication of key resources, mycoplasma testing methods and cell culture contamination.
Common misunderstandings
- “MDCK is one uniform line.” The 2013 clonal study found distinct morphotypes within an ATCC MDCK line.
- “MDCK and MDCK-II are interchangeable names.” Cellosaurus treats MDCK-II as a separate entry derived from MDCK; report which one you used.
- “It is a human line.” It is canine.
FAQ
What does MDCK mean?
Madin-Darby canine kidney, a line derived in 1958 from a cocker spaniel kidney.
What are the key characteristics of the MDCK cell line?
Adherent, epithelial, spontaneously immortalized, cultured in EMEM with 10% FBS at 37 °C and 5% CO2 per ATCC, and heterogeneous in its original form.
What are the three types of cell lines?
Commonly finite and continuous, with some sources adding stem-cell-derived lines; MDCK is continuous.
What is the most famous human cell line?
HeLa is the one most often named; see the HeLa guide linked above.
Sources
- Cellosaurus, MDCK-II (CVCL_0424): cellosaurus.org/CVCL_0424, read 2026-11-07.
- ATCC, MDCK (NBL-2) CCL-34: atcc.org/products/ccl-34, read 2026-11-07.
- Lugovtsev VY, Melnyk D, Weir JP. Heterogeneity of the MDCK cell line and its applicability for influenza virus research. PLoS ONE, 2013: PMC3772841, read 2026-11-07.
