Studying Anticancer Drug Properties in Drosophila Figure 5. Growth inhibition of Drosophila Kc cells by F14512 and characteristic cytotoxic effects. (A) Antiproliferative properties of F14512 and reference Topo II poisons, measured through viable cell counting (Vi-CELL) in exponentially growing Drosophila Kc cells. Drugs were used at the following concentrations: F14512 1 mM (-%-) and 50 mM (-&-); etoposide (VP16) 1 mM (-D-) and 50 mM (-m-); and TOP-53 1 mM (-#-) and 50 mM (-N-); control cells (-e-) were treated with 0.1% DMSO alone. Viability was measured after the treatment times shown. Mean values +SD of three independent experiments are reported. (B) Phase-contrast micrographs of Kc cells treated as shown with etoposide (VP16), TOP-53 and F14512 and photographed after 24 hours. Arrowheads point to aggregates of apoptotic debris (etoposide VP16, TOP-53) or to elongated and/or multinucleated cells (F14512). Bar: 5 mm. Note that F14512 treatment yields no evident sign of apoptosis at the concentrations used here. (C) Phase- contrast or fluorescence micrographs of intact Kc cells and DAPI-stained fixed cells, respectively, after 24 hours of treatment with etoposide (VP16) or F14512 at the concentrations shown. The black arrowhead in the etoposide-treated photograph indicates apoptotic bodies, DAPI-stained samples show signs of hypercondensed chromatin. Low concentrations of F14512 (1 or 5 mM) again yield large adherent, elongated and multinucleated cells, DAPI staining shows evidence of internuclear chromatin bridges (white arrowheads) Bar: 5 mm. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0023597.g005 PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org 6 August 2011 | Volume 6 | Issue 8 | e23597