Abstract

Radha Pyati*, Lindsay L. Elvir, Erica C. Charles, Umawattee Seenath and Tom D. Wolkow

The morphology of Schizosaccharomyces pombe can be rapidly monitored in asynchronous, G2-rich populations using imaging flow cytometry (IFC). Cell morphology was analyzed in terms of length and aspect ratio before and after exposure to several toxins. The toxins target the DNA (hydroxyurea and phleomycin) or cytoskeletal elements (thiabendazole, carbendazim and latrunculin A) and exert wellcharacterized effects on the morphology. Using IFC and yeast mutants, predictable morphological changes were detected accompanied with loss of gene products required during cellular responses to these toxins. IFC is a sensitive tool for accurate detection of subtle morphological changes in large, asynchronous S. pombe populations.