Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 24, 2026

Cell Death Associated with Abnormal Mitosis Observed by Confocal Imaging in Live Cancer Cells
Published on: August 21, 2013
Induction of spindle inhibition and abnormal mitotic figures by Cr(II), Cr(III) and Cr(VI) ions
1Laboratorium voor Antropogenetika, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium.
Abstract:
A differential staining technique for chromosomes and spindles was used to compare the effects of chromium compounds of different oxidation states with either no, or very low (Cr(II) and Cr(III) or high (Cr(VI) carcinogenic properties. Neither CrCl2, nor CrCl3 (except at 10(-4) M) had any effect on spindle formation and/or chromosome segregation after exposure up to 10(-7) and 10(-5) M, respectively. None of them significantly influenced the mitotic index. In contrast, the Cr(VI) products (Na2CrO4 and CaCrO4) induced a dose-dependent increase of aberrant division patterns up to 10(-4) and 10(-5) M, respectively. Moreover, with CaCrO4, a high frequency of cells with dislocated metaphase chromosomes or malformed spindles with clustered chromosomes were observed. Since these cell types are potential sources of aneuploid daughter cells, they represent a potential risk for cancer induction. These experiments clearly demonstrate that the differential staining methods allows discrimination between spindle modifiers which induce lethal toxicity and those which may lead to possible tumour induction.
More Related Videos
06:00Through the Looking Glass: Time-lapse Microscopy and Longitudinal Tracking of Single Cells to Study Anti-cancer Therapeutics
Published on: May 14, 2016
10:14Detection of Inter-chromosomal Stable Aberrations by Multiple Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (mFISH) and Spectral Karyotyping (SKY) in Irradiated Mice
Published on: January 11, 2017
Related Concept Videos
Meiosis II
Inhibition of Cdk Activity
M-Cdk Drives Transition Into Mitosis
Cyclin-dependent kinases, or Cdks, work in concert with cyclins to control cell cycle transitions. M-Cdk, a complex of Cdk1 bound to M cyclin, is a well-known example of this coordinated control that drives the transition from the G2 to the M phase.
M cyclin...
The Spindle Assembly Checkpoint
Many proteins function together to control the spindle assembly checkpoint. Mutations affecting these proteins may allow cells to proceed into anaphase prematurely, resulting in the...
Drugs that Destabilize Microtubules
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Somatic cells are...