SiR-DNA/SiR–Hoechst-induced chromosome entanglement generates severe anaphase bridges and DNA damage

SiR-DNA/SiR–Hoechst is a far-red fluorescent DNA probe that is routinely used for live-cell imaging of cell nuclei in interphase and chromosomes during mitosis. Despite being reported to induce DNA damage, SiR-DNA has been used in more than 300 research articles, covering topics like mitosis, chromatin biology, cancer research, cytoskeletal research, and DNA damage response. Here, we used live-cell imaging to perform a comprehensive analysis of the effects of SiR-DNA on mitosis of four human cell lines (RPE-1, DLD-1, HeLa, and U2OS). We report a dose-, time-, and light-dependent effect of SiR-DNA on chromosome segregation. We found that, upon the exposure to light during imaging, nanomolar concentrations of SiR-DNA induce non-centromeric chromosome entanglement that severely impairs sister chromatid segregation and spindle elongation during anaphase. This causes DNA damage that is passed forward to the following cell cycle, thereby having a detrimental effect on genome integrity. Our findings highlight the drawbacks in using SiR-DNA for investigation of late mitotic events and DNA damage-related topics and urge the use of alternative labeling strategies to study these processes.