Live-cell fluorescence imaging for phenotypic analysis of mitosis.

Live-cell fluorescence microscopy is a powerful tool for characterizing aberrant mitotic phenotypes resulting from exposure to chemical inhibitors or after depletion of protein targets by RNA interference or other methods. Live imaging of cultured cells during mitotic progression presents challenges in maintaining optimal health of cells while achieving the temporal and spatial resolution to accomplish the goals of the study. We describe herein strategies to monitor and analyze mammalian cell mitosis with standard, inverted, fluorescence microscopy systems that are widely available.