Cell Cycle Position Reporting

Eukaryotic cell division proceeds through a highly regulated cell cycle comprising consecutive phases termed gap1 (G1), synthesis (S), gap 2 (G2) and mitosis (M). Disruption of the cell cycle or cell cycle control can result in cellular abnormalities or disease states such as cancer. All dividing cells are subject to a number of control mechanisms known as checkpoints. These checkpoints maintain genomic integrity by arresting progress through the cell cycle or inducing destruction of aberrant cells. Therefore, accurate determination of the position within the cell cycle of a particular cell is of interest for a number of reasons. Firstly, it can be used in a primary or secondary screen to uncover novel anti-cancer drugs. Secondly, it can be used by toxicologists to establish whether a lead compound has adverse effects upon the rate of division of a cell and thirdly it can be used in a multiplexed assay to determine the effect of cell cycle position on a disparate process. In this poster learn about a novel assay has been developed that enables nondestructive, dynamic, reporting of the cell cycle status in living cells. This assay is non-toxic so cells can be followed over long time periods.