Fig. 1

Effects of the polo--like kinase (PLK) inhibitor GW843682X (GW) on the nuclear phenotypes of Giardia lamblia. a Cells were treated with 5 µM GW (closed bars) or 0.1% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) (open bars) for 18 h, and then stained with 10% Giemsa solution. At least 300 cells were examined to assess the number and position of the nuclei for each condition under an Axiovert 200 microscope. b Cells were treated with 5 µM GW (closed bars) or 0.1% DMSO (open bars) for various lengths of time up to 24 h, and then stained with 10% Giemsa solution. At least 300 cells were examined to record the number of the cells showing nuclear condensation. c Cells were treated with 5 µM GW (closed bars) or 0.1% DMSO (open bars) for various lengths of time up to 24 h. After being stained with propidium iodide (PI), the ploidy of their DNA was analyzed by flow cytometry. A representative cell for each category is shown. Data are presented as the mean ± standard deviation (SD) of three independent experiments. G1/S Gap 1/synthesis cell cycle phases, G2/M gap 2/mitosis cell cycle phases. Asterisk indicates that difference is statistically significant at *P < 0.01. Scale bars: 2 μm