Flow cytometric analysis of DNA synthesis and apoptosis in central nervous system using fresh cell nuclei

The use of flow cytometry in vertebrate nervous tissues is hampered by the morphological complexity and high level of interconnectivity intrinsic to their cellular constituents. Here we describe a simplified procedure for the identification and quantitative analysis of neural cells by flow cytometry based on the isolation and immunolabeling of fresh cell nuclei. We have applied this procedure for the quantitative analysis of apoptosis and DNA synthesis in the embryonic brain.