Trends in Biotechnology
Rejoinder: whole-culture synchronization cannot, and does not, synchronize cells
Section snippets
Acknowledgements
I thank Drs Spellman and Sherlock for their comments during the writing of this rejoinder and for working to bring these differing viewpoints clearly out in the open. Although we bring differing views to this question, it has been an excellent and cooperative experience that I hope illuminates the problem of whole-culture synchronization for the scientific audience. I also thank numerous colleagues for their comments and ideas during the preparation of this rejoinder. Readers can easily access
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Mapping Metabolic Events in the Cancer Cell Cycle Reveals Arginine Catabolism in the Committed SG <inf>2</inf> M Phase
2019, Cell ReportsCitation Excerpt :However, synchronization methods are problematic in that they block cell-cycle progression by inhibiting metabolic processes such as thymidine or mevalonate synthesis (Whitfield et al., 2002; Keyomarsi 1996), and hence may disturb metabolism. Moreover, most mammalian cells are difficult to synchronize (Cooper, 2004), and consequently most data have been gathered from a few transformed cell lines that are amenable to synchronization, including HeLa and mouse 3T3 cells. This is problematic, since cell-cycle regulation clearly differs across cell types (Kung et al., 1990), and it is of particular interest to study differences between normal and transformed cells.
Cell-cycle synchronisation of bloodstream forms of Trypanosoma brucei using Vybrant DyeCycle Violet-based sorting
2010, Molecular and Biochemical ParasitologyExperimental reconsideration of the utility of serum starvation as a method for synchronizing mammalian cells
2009, Cell Biology InternationalCitation Excerpt :However, this proposal ignores the theoretical generalization that led to the experiments presented here. Theory predicts the results obtained here – that serum starvation does not synchronize cells – and the theory is independent of cell type or cell line (Cooper, 1998b, 2003b, 2004a,b; Cooper and Shedden, 2003). Rather than placing the burden of proof on the proposal that all cell lines cannot be synchronized by whole-culture methods, we now need to shift the burden of proof to those who propose using such whole-culture procedures – including serum starvation– as ‘synchronization’ methods.
Invariant mRNA and mitotic protein breakdown solves the Russian Doll problem of the cell cycle
2009, Cell Biology InternationalCitation Excerpt :We have dealt with such elements as the restriction point and the G0 phase (Cooper, 1998a), and cyclical phosphorylation of Rb protein (Cooper and Shayman, 2001; Cooper et al., 1999). But even more important are critiques of the most commonly used method for synchronization, the whole-culture methods (Cooper, 2002, 2003a, 2004a,c, Cooper et al., 2008, 2006). The sum of these critiques lead to an alternative view that does not include many of the widely accepted cell-cycle control systems (Cooper, 2000).
Microarrays and the relationship of mRNA variation to protein variation during the cell cycle
2007, Journal of Theoretical Biology