An improved method of cell cycle synchronisation for the heterotrophic dinoflagellate Crypthecodinium cohnii Biecheler analyzed by flow cytometry

The selective attachment method for synchronising populations of Crypthecodinium cohnii Biecheler has been investigated with the addition of a filtration step. Appropriate filter meshes can yield populations enriched with cells at a similar point in the G1 phase of the cell cycle, the degree of synchrony being 90-93% G1 cells. Flow cytometric analysis of DNA content allowed the cell cycle progression of synchronised cells to be followed after the synchronisation event. Results indicate that the additional filtration step did not physiologically affect the cells and the calculated cell-cycle phase duration results are consistent with other published data. The technique has been demonstrated on a scale which would be suitable to provide the large samples required for molecular biology studies such as cell-cycle control

Atomistic Simulations of Electroporation in Water Preembedded Membranes

Atomistic simulations of electroporation were conducted on water/membrane/water systems, in which the membranes initially contained randomly distributed water molecules that might be introduced by acoustic treatment. The simulation results indicate that the critical strength of an applied electric field to induce electroporation is greatly reduced due to the initially embedded water molecules in the membranes. A lower applied electric field will significantly enhance the viability of cells in electroporation. © 2011 American Chemical Society