Analysis of cell cycle activity and population dynamics in heterogeneous plant cell suspensions using flow cytometry

Flow cytometry was used to measure cell cycle parameters in Solanum aviculare plant cell suspensions. Methods for bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) labeling of plant nuclei were developed so that cell cycle times and the proportion of cells participating in growth could be determined as a function of culture time and conditions. The percentage of cells active in the cell cycle at 25 degrees C decreased from 52% to 19% within 7.6 d of culture; presence of a relatively large proportion of non-active cells was reflected in the results for culture growth. While the maximum specific growth rate of the suspensions at 25 degrees C was 0.34 d-1 (doubling time: 2.0 d), the specific growth rate of active cells was significantly greater at 0.67 d-1, corresponding to a cell cycle time of 1.0 d. A simple model of culture growth based on exponential and linear growth kinetics and the assumption of constant cell cycle time was found to predict with reasonable accuracy the proportion of active cells in the population as a function of time. Reducing the temperature to 17 degrees C lowered the culture growth rate but prolonged the exponential growth phase compared with 25 degrees C; the percentage of cells participating in the cell cycle was also higher. Exposure of plant cells to different agitation intensities in shake flasks had a pronounced effect on the distribution of cells within the cell cycle. The proportion of cells in S phase was 1.8 times higher at a shaker speed of 160 rpm than at 100 rpm, while the frequency of G0 + G1 cells decreased by up to 27%. Because of the significant levels of intraculture heterogeneity in suspended plant cell systems, flow cytometry is of particular value in characterizing culture properties and behavior.