Subdivision of S-phase and its use for comparative purposes in cultured human cells

Intranuclear DNA synthesis and concomitant chromosome duplication occur during a discrete period of the cell cycle termed S-phase. Using replication-banding and serial time sampling in asynchronous cell populations, it is possible to subdivide the S-phase into four or five chronological compartments termed "subphases". This paper discusses methods for analysing the sampling data to obtain the average duration of these subphases and the positions within S of the borders between them. Such information not only allows a more detailed analysis of the cell cycle, but also provides parameters which can be used for rigorous comparisons of cell populations from different sources and experimental conditions. Examples are given of application of the method to normal and chromosomally abnormal primary human fibroblasts and lymphocytes growing in short-term in vitro culture.