CHARACTERIZATION OF A CV-1 CELL-CYCLE .3. BIOPHYSICAL PARAMETERS

Electronic volume analysis, buoyant density centrifugation and sedimentation velocity have been used to measure cellular and nuclear size and density changes during the cell cycle of synchronous CV-1 cell populations. Similar measurements were made in confluent and random, logarithmically growing CV-1 cell populations. Cellular volume was shown to increase linearly throughout the cell cycle while nuclear volume increased in a biphasic manner. The density of cells was greatest in G1 phase, decreased in late G1 and early S phases and then increased in late S and G2 phases. Stationary cells had size and density profiles typical of G1 cells while random, logarithmically growing cell populations had size and density profiles typical of mid-S phase cells. Statistical parameters of skewness and coefficient of variation remained constant throughout the cell cycle indicating that synchronous CV-1 populations moved through the cell cycle as homogenous cell populations with a dispersion of approx. 3 h. © 1979.