Abstract
COLCHICINE inhibits mitosis in plant and animal cells1. When colchicine-treated tissue-cultured cells are stained with acridine orange fluorochrome and viewed by fluorescence microscopy, an impressive result of its activity is seen as a morphological disorganization of the nuclei2 and subsequent formation of micronucleated cells. X-irradiation causes a similar effect3. The origin of micronuclei may be accounted for either by fragmentation of the interphase nucleus4 or by formation from chromosomal material5. Results of a previous investigation6 favoured the chromosome-fragmentation hypothesis but did not exclude the nucleus-fragmentation hypothesis as an alternative pathway. The sequence of nuclear changes which followed colchicine-treatment of cells was examined by cytochemical staining procedures with acridine orange fluorochrome7: when stained preparations are viewed by fluorescence microscopy, DNA- and RNA-components of the cell fluoresce shades of green and red, respectively. The biochemical integrity of colchicine-induced micro-nucleated cells was explored by autoradiography with tritiated thymidine.
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