In the presence of DNA damage, cells delay the entry into mitosis, presumably to allow time for repair. Methods to detect the delay of mitosis in a multicellular model organism,Drosophila melanogaster, are described here. These include the collection of embryos and larvae, irradiation with x-rays to damage DNA, and fixing and staining of tissues with an antibody to phosphorylated histone H3 to measure the mitotic index. These methods should be useful in identifying potential mutants that are unable to regulate mitosis following DNA damage.
