S-phase cell detection with a monoclonal antibody.

The use of a newly developed monoclonal antibody against Bromodeoxyuridine is demonstrated in a study with V79 Chinese hamster cells. It can replace radioactive material in cell cycle analysis studies in the way that BrdU incorporated into the DNA during S-phase is detected by immunofluorescence. By this technique the proportion of actively synthesizing S-phase cells can be determined. The proportion of such cells is a good measure with regard to the quality of a culture and/or medium in question. The method is fast and offers within 3-5 hours the possibility to analyse growth conditions in monolayers and suspension cultures.