Using fluorescence microscopy to study mitosis

Abstract

Fluorescence microscopy is one of the most important approaches in the cell biologist’s toolbox for studying the mitotic spindle. In fact, many of the key insights into our understanding of mitosis have been enabled by the visualization of mitotic processes using fluorescence microscopy. Here, we summarize some of the important considerations for imaging mitosis using fluorescence microscopy. Because light can damage live cells, we emphasize the importance of minimizing cellular damage while obtaining informative images.