NUCLEIC-ACID CONTENT AND NUCLEAR CHROMATIN STRUCTURE OF HUMAN BLADDER CELL-CULTURE LINES AS STUDIED BY FLOW CYTOFLUOROMETRY

Abstract

Two human bladder [tumor] cell lines, T-24 and HCV-29, were studied with flow cytofluorometry and acridine organge staining to determine relative DNA and RNA content per cell and to measure resistance to thermal denaturation of DNA in situ. The RNA/DNA ratio for HCV-29 was over 2-fold higher than that for T-24, a difference that is consistent with the differences in cytological morphology and staining characteristics of these 2 cell lines and is sufficient to distinguish them completely, although measurements of DNA or RNA alone may not. The 2 cell lines also showed differences in DNA melting curves that indicate structural or conformational differences in nuclear chromatin. The features are related to nuclear and cellular morphology, and they may be of value as additional parameters for characterizing tissue culture cell lines.