2004 Volume 69 Issue 3 Pages 313-317
The effects of hydroxyurea (HU) and aphidicolin (APD) on cell cycle synchronization in cucumber root meristems were studied. A 10 times lower HU concentration was effective for cucumber synchronization compared to that used as a typical treatment in Vicia faba or Triticum aestivum, and the peak mitotic index (MI) was 5 h after inhibitor removal. Higher APD concentrations (15 μM and above) caused the accumulation of M phase cells, and the peak MI was 4 h after its removal. After release from the HU block, the use of Hoagland's nutrient solution on cell cycle synchronization resulted in a considerable increase in MI. The efficiency of colchicine was also very high, and cells at anaphase or telophase were observed at very low frequencies. The highest MI (39%) was obtained 4 h after an 18 h APD block at 15 μM followed by 0.05% colchicine treatment for 2 h. Our synchronizing procedure in C. sativus would be very helpful for flow-sorting of mitotic chromosomes, karyomorphological analysis, and genetic analysis.
