At any given moment during development from a stem cell to the fully differentiated state, a normal cell is either dividing (mitosis) or not (interphase). The cell cycle is an ordered set of events, culminating in cell growth and division into two daughter cells. The cell cycle can be divided into four different phases, G1, S, G2 and M. If cells become quiescent, the cells are in G0 phase.
Cell proliferation analysis and the cell cycle characterization of agents that either promote or inhibit cell proliferation are critical areas of cell biology and drug-discovery research. The cell cycle can be analyzed by measuring DNA content and by detecting cell cycle-specific cellular targets. One example is BrdU staining that detects S phase of the cell cycle. Changes in the expression level of several protein markers are also associated with cell proliferation. For example, Ki67 is expressed during G1, S, G2, and M phases but is absent in the G0 phase. Other examples include phospho-Histone H3 (M phase marker), cyclins/Cdks, Phospho-Rb and PLK. Aberrations in cell cycle control can lead to cancer or cell death. High-content analysis (HCA) can be used to quantify cell proliferation activity by simultaneously measuring and correlating multiple parameters relating to the cell cycle.
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