Background
The detection of DNA double-strand breaks in vitro using the phosphorylated histone biomarker (γH2AX) is an increasingly popular method of measuring in vitro genotoxicity, as it is sensitive, specific and suitable for high-throughput analysis. The γH2AX response is either detected by flow cytometry or microscopy, the latter being more accessible. However, authors sparsely publish details, data, and workflows from overall fluorescence intensity quantification, which hinders the reproducibility. (2)
Conclusions
The overall fluorescence intensity of γH2AX obtained from bioimage analysis appears to be a promising alternative to flow cytometry. Workflow, data, and script sharing are crucial for further improvement of the bioimage analysis methods.
Methods
We used valinomycin as a model genotoxin, two cell lines (HeLa and CHO-K1) and a commercial kit for γH2AX immunofluorescence detection. Bioimage analysis was performed using the open-source software ImageJ. Mean fluorescent values were measured using segmented nuclei from the DAPI channel and the
Results
The outputs obtained by an introduced method are in accordance with expected results, i.e., valinomycin was genotoxic and cytotoxic to both cell lines used after 24 h of incubation. (4) Conclusions: The overall fluorescence intensity of γH2AX obtained from bioimage analysis appears to be a promising alternative to flow cytometry. Workflow, data, and script sharing are crucial for further improvement of the bioimage analysis methods.