Digital holographic microscopy for non-invasive monitoring of cell cycle arrest in L929 cells

PLoS One. 2014 Sep 10;9(9):e106546. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0106546. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

Digital holographic microscopy (DHM) has emerged as a powerful non-invasive tool for cell analysis. It has the capacity to analyse multiple parameters simultaneously, such as cell- number, confluence and phase volume. This is done while cells are still adhered and growing in their culture flask. The aim of this study was to investigate whether DHM was able to monitor drug-induced cell cycle arrest in cultured cells and thus provide a non-disruptive alternative to flow cytometry. DHM parameters from G1 and G2/M cell cycle arrested L929 mouse fibroblast cells were collected. Cell cycle arrest was verified with flow cytometry. This study shows that DHM is able to monitor phase volume changes corresponding to either a G1 or G2/M cell cycle arrest. G1-phase arrest with staurosporine correlated with a decrease in the average cell phase volume and G2/M-phase arrest with colcemid and etoposide correlated with an increase in the average cell phase volume. Importantly, DHM analysis of average cell phase volume was of comparable accuracy to flow cytometric measurement of cell cycle phase distribution as recorded following dose-dependent treatment with etoposide. Average cell phase volume changes in response to treatment with cell cycle arresting compounds could therefore be used as a DHM marker for monitoring cell cycle arrest in cultured mammalian cells.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Cycle Checkpoints / drug effects*
  • Cell Line
  • Demecolcine / pharmacology
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Etoposide / pharmacology
  • Holography / methods*
  • Mice
  • Microscopy / methods*
  • Staurosporine / pharmacology

Substances

  • Etoposide
  • Staurosporine
  • Demecolcine

Grants and funding

MFM acknowledges funding from The Lars Hierta foundation (grants: FO2012-0399 and FO2013-0080) and Åke Wiberg foundation (grant nr: 171916142). AM acknowledges funding from a Swedish Institute scholarship (04471/2012). AGW acknowledges funding from Malmö University. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. http://www.larshiertasminne.se/, http://ake-wiberg.se/, http://studyinsweden.se/scholarship/swedish-institute-study-scholarships/, http://mah.se/.