title: Reappraisal of G1-phase arrest and synchronization by lovastatin.
abstract: It has been proposed that lovastatin arrests cells in the G1-phase of the division cycle, and that release from lovastatin inhibition produces a synchronized culture. A new method of methocel time-lapse-videography has been used to analyse cell division patterns following lovastatin treatment. Release of L1210 cells from lovastatin inhibition failed to produce synchronized divisions. Moreover, contrary to earlier proposals, lovastatin did not arrest cells with a G1-phase amount of DNA. Analysis of previous reports of 'synchronization' and growth-arrest support these findings. It is concluded that lovastatin neither synchronizes cells, nor arrests cells in the G1-phase of the division cycle.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0620, USA. cooper@umich.edu
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cooper
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D004247:DNA / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D005057:Eukaryotic Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D018816:Genes, cdc / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D007399:Interphase / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D008148:Lovastatin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008747:Methylcellulose / Q000494:pharmacology; D051379:Mice; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D008747:Methylcellulose; D004247:DNA; D008148:Lovastatin