Abstract
Addition of growth factors, such as prostaglandin F2 alpha or fibroblastic growth factor, to quiescent Swiss mouse 3T3 cells resulted in an abrupt increase in the rate of initiation of DNA synthesis after a lag phase of 13-15 hr. This increase could be quantified by a rate constant k. Addition of colchicine, Colcemid, or vinblastine had a synergistic effect on the initiation of DNA synthesis triggered by PGF2 alpha or FGF by increasing the value of k. These drugs alone had no effect. Colchicine had a synergistic effect only if added within 8 hr of the PGF2 alpha or FGF addition. Also, colchicine exerted its full effect when it was present only for the first 5 hr with either growth factor. These results suggest that an intact cytoskeleton is not required for the initiation of DNA synthesis. Furthermore, cytoskeleton-disrupting drugs enhance the stimulatory effect of the growth factors.