[Campbell Biology P.299] Based on the comparison of the 'Control' and 'Treated' histograms, ... | Practice Question

Based on the comparison of the 'Control' and 'Treated' histograms, what is the most likely effect of the stem cell-derived inhibitor on glioblastoma cells?

  • A: It primarily arrests cells in the S phase, preventing DNA replication.
  • B: It accelerates cell division, leading to a higher number of cells in all phases.
  • C: It causes a significant accumulation of cells in the G1 phase, suggesting a cell cycle arrest at this point.
  • D: It induces cell death uniformly across all cell cycle phases, reducing total cell numbers.

Explanation

The treated histogram shows a markedly higher peak in the G1 phase compared to the control, and significantly fewer cells in the S and G2/M phases. This indicates that cells are accumulating in G1 because the inhibitor is arresting their progression through the cell cycle at this point.