Isolation of Plant Nuclei at Defined Cell Cycle Stages Using EdU Labeling and Flow Cytometry

Abstract

5-Ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine (EdU) is a nucleoside analog of thymidine that can be rapidly incorporated into replicating DNA in vivo and, subsequently, detected by using “click” chemistry to couple its terminal alkyne group to fluorescent azides such as Alexa Fluor 488. Recently, EdU incorporation followed by coupling with a fluorophore has been used to visualize newly synthesized DNA in a wide range of plant species. One particularly useful application is in flow cytometry, where two-parameter sorting can be employed to analyze different phases of the cell cycle, as defined both by total DNA content and the amount of EdU pulse-labeled DNA. This approach allows analysis of the cell cycle without the need for synchronous cell populations, which can be difficult to obtain in many plant systems. The approach presented here, which was developed for fixed, EdU-labeled nuclei, can be used to prepare analytical profiles as well as to make highly purified preparations of G1, S, or G2/M phase nuclei for molecular or biochemical analysis. We present protocols for EdU pulse labeling, tissue fixation and harvesting, nuclei preparation, and flow sorting. Although developed for Arabidopsis suspension cells and maize root tips, these protocols should be modifiable to many other plant systems.