Cell Cycle Analysis Using Microplate Cytometry: A Comparison of Laser and Dye Combinations

Abstract

Many anticancer agents and carcinogens are DNA damaging chemicals and exposure to such chemicals results in the deregulation of cell cycle progression. The cell cycle is thus a target in oncology research, making the ability to monitor the effects of such agents on the cell cycle an important part of the drug development process. Traditionally, cell cycle analysis has been performed using flow cytometry.

For improved screening capability, we have developed a cell cycle analysis method using an Acumen Explorer fluorescence microplate cytometer, capable of reading an entire 384 well microplate in about 10 minutes. The method can perform such analyses on fixed cells in situ, markedly simplifying sample preparation. Here, we compare the performance of different combinations of laser excitation and fluorescent DNA labelling dyes on an Acumen Explorer microplate cytometer.