Growth characteristics of anaerobically treated Ehrlich ascites tumor cells after reaeration as studied by combination of flow cytometry and centrifugal elutriation.

Centrifugal elutriation was applied to separate into the cell compartments asynchronous Ehrlich ascites cells grown under different culture conditions. The cytokinetic properties of the recultivated fractions were studied by flow cytometry. The present experiments prove that G1-cohorts grown 12 h under exclusion of oxygen accumulate in the late G1-compartment. The cytokinetic properties of these cells are not changed. In contrast the cytokinetic properties of anaerobically treated S-phase cells are changed; most of S-cells leave the cell cycle after they have attained the DNA content of G2-cells and continue to synthesize DNA without preceeding division. Cells with a DNA content up to the fourfold of normal values are found.