You can dark arrest cells for more than 24 hours and illuminate back the cultures. Chemically, you can use nocodazole for synchronizing the cells.

What Do sou want to do with the cells after aresting? This is important.

To the dark arest: Dark arrest will trigger starch degradation. They are highly active in the dark, but not growing. a lot of things will change during dark phase.

Hi Michael,

Please check out these references, they may be able to point you in the right direction

Hi Ben,

thanks a lot for the publications. What is the right direction?

Look at this...Cell-to-Cell Diversity in a Synchronized Chlamydomonas...

Original light dark cycle was 12 h / 12 h.

starch brakedown is strongly light-dark regulated. We have done a "dark arest" after 6 h light to initiate the starch braedown.  This works also after 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 or with any other shortened light phase.

cell cycle progression in  "dark arested" chlamy is strain dependend. I will show this in future. Its a bit more complex, than expected. Flow cytometry is an exelent tool for investigation of such problems.

Best Regards,

Michael

Article Cell-to-Cell Diversity in a Synchronized Chlamydomonas Cultu...