Why is radiolabeled thymidine used to track the cell cycle?

2021-03-22

Why is radiolabeled thymidine used to track the cell cycle?

When cells are incubated with thymidine, they use the radiolabeled thymidine to synthesize DNA and incorporate it into their DNA backbone. So, thymidine is an excellent measure of DNA synthesis in cells that have undergone the S-Phase of cell replication.

What are thymidine analogues?

Thymidine analogues are powerful tools when studying DNA synthesis including DNA replication, repair and recombination. However, these analogues have been reported to have severe effects on cell-cycle progression and growth, the very processes being investigated in most of these studies.

Which is analogue of thymidine structure?

Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) is another thymidine analog that is often used for the detection of proliferating cells in living tissues. 5-Ethynyl-2´-deoxyuridine (EdU) is a thymidine analog which is incorporated into the DNA of dividing cells and is used to assay DNA synthesis in cell culture or living tissues.

Who used thymidine radioisotope in DNA replication?

This technology showed that, e.g., thymidine is a precursor for DNA, but not for RNA [9]. In 1957, Taylor and colleagues developed a method where they used H3-thymidine for the labeling of replicated DNA in the bean root, and autoradiography for its detection.

What is thymidine incorporation used for?

Metabolic incorporation of 3H-thymidine into cellular DNA is a widely used protocol to monitor rates of DNA synthesis and cell proliferation.

What is the function of thymidine?

Thymidine kinases have a key function in the synthesis of DNA and therefore in cell division, as they are part of the unique reaction chain to introduce thymidine into the DNA. Thymidine is present in the body fluids as a result of degradation of DNA from food and from dead cells.

Which is the synthetic analogue of thymidine?

H-Thymidine and 5′ Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) BrdU is a newer, synthetic analogue of Thymidine. As with 3H-Thymidine, BrdU labels dividing cells but it is preferred for experimental studies due to the lack of radioactivity.

Is the synthetic analogue of thymidine?

BrdU is a newer, synthetic analogue of Thymidine.

How is thymidine formed?

It is a glycoside formed from the hydrolysis of nucleic acid. A pyrimidine nucleoside is one in which the nucleobase is a pyrimidine, such as thymine in thymidine. Thymidine is a nucleoside consisting of thymine and deoxyribose. When a phosphate group is covalently attached to the sugar, it forms a nucleotide.

Is thymidine A pyrimidine?

Thymidine is a pyrimidine deoxynucleoside. Thymidine is the DNA nucleoside T, which pairs with deoxyadenosine (A) in double-stranded DNA.

What is thymidine incorporation assay?

Assay Description The thymidine incorporation assay, the most common assay, utilizes a strategy wherein a radioactive nucleoside, 3H-thymidine, is incorporated into new strands of chromosomal DNA during mitotic cell division.