Live Cell Imaging of Mitosis

Mitosis is a form of cell division in which a cell’s genetic material is divided equally between two daughter cells. Mitosis can be broken down into six phases, during each of which the cell’s components, such as its chromosomes, show visually distinct characteristics. Advances in fluorescence live cell imaging have allowed scientists to study this process in great detail, providing important insights into the biological control of this process and how it might go wrong in diseases such as cancer.

We begin this video by breaking down the phases of mitosis, and introducing some important considerations for optimal visualization of the process using live cell imaging. We then walk through the steps for running a live cell mitosis imaging experiment and discuss various analysis methods, including the generation of montages, movies, and 3D recreations. Finally, we take a look at how visualizing the mitotic process can be applied to answering questions in cell biology.

Mitosis is the highly organized and controlled division of nuclear contents that occurs during the cell cycle. Mitosis is fundamentally important for proper organismal development, and for tissue growth, maintenance, and repair. Disruption of this process has been indicated in certain diseases, like cancer. Live cell imaging via time-lapse fluorescent microscopy is one of the most common methods of studying mitosis in labs today.

In this video, we’ll briefly introduce the phases of mitosis, and then discuss exp