ISSN 2736-1756
Advanced Journal of Microbiology Research Vol. 2011
Available online at http://internationalscholarsjournals.org/journal/ajmr
© 2011 International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Imaging flow cytometric analysis of Schizosaccharomyces pombe morphology
Radha Pyati1*, Lindsay L. Elvir1, Erica C. Charles1, Umawattee Seenath1 and Tom D. Wolkow2
1Department of Chemistry, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA.
2Department of Biology, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs, CO 80933, USA.
Accepted 10 March, 2011
Abstract
The morphology of Schizosaccharomyces pombe can be rapidly monitored in asynchronous, G2-rich populations using imaging flow cytometry (IFC). Cell morphology was analyzed in terms of length and aspect ratio before and after exposure to several toxins. The toxins target the DNA (hydroxyurea and phleomycin) or cytoskeletal elements (thiabendazole, carbendazim and latrunculin A) and exert well-characterized effects on the morphology. Using IFC and yeast mutants, predictable morphological changes were detected accompanied with loss of gene products required during cellular responses to these toxins. IFC is a sensitive tool for accurate detection of subtle morphological changes in large, asynchronous S. pombe populations.
Key words: Imaging flow cytometry, fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, cell cycle, morphology, genotoxin, cytoskeletal toxin.