Some Effects of Abnormal Tonicity on Dividing Cells in Chick Tissue Cultures

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Abstract
1. Chick tissue cultures were treated with hypo- and hypertonic saline for periods up to 1 hour. Dividing cells are more sensitive than resting cells to abnormal tonicity. 2. The effects of this treatment on dividing cells closely resembles that of various mitotic inhibitors. Cells are arrested either in pre-prophase or in metaphase, in which the chromatid pairs are scattered throughout the cell. With hypotony, anaphase may be disturbed, and cleavage may be prevented. 3. There is partial recovery when cultures are returned to normal saline after this treatment. Cells re-enter mitosis. After hypotonic saline, inhibited metaphases may either regenerate a spindle, or their scattered chromosomes may reconstruct as irregular nuclei or as separate chromosomal vesicles. 4. These results may have some bearing both on the course of normal mitosis and on the action of mitotic inhibitors.

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