Effects of hyperthermia, irradiation, and cytotoxic drugs on fluorescein isothiocyanate staining intensity for flow cytofluorometry.

Measurement of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) staining intensity of cultured lymphoblastoid cells following hyperthermia showed large increases without concomitant increases in nuclear protein. Similar measurements of cells following incubation with cytotoxic drugs showed fluorescent intensity increases that exceeded the increases in nuclear protein that were due to the cell cycle blocking action of the drug. The reverse, however, was true for cells following irradiation. In contrast, FITC staining intensity and nuclear protein measurements of cells proceeding through the cell cycle after removal of the cycle blocking agent showed nearly parallel changes, although there were reproducible minor differences, especially following blocking with hydroxyurea. These results suggest that FITC staining intensity is a function not only of nuclear protein content but also of stain access to the reaction sites of the protein constituents of the chromatin. Thus, it is possible that FITC staining may be used as a probe of changes in chromatin structure following experimental manipulation of cells in vitro or treatment of tumors in vivo.