The relation between length of the cell cycle duration and RNA content in HeLa S3 cells

The cell cycle of HeLa S3 cells synchronized by hydroxyurea was investigated by flow cytometry. Metachromatic fluorochrome acridine orange was used to strain the DNA and RNA of the cells differentially. Periodic changes in the cellular DNA and RNA contents were observed through five cell cycles. The G1 and S phases of synchronized HeLa S3 cells that contained large amounts of RNA became shorter than those of cells that contained smaller amounts of RNA.