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Differential Nuclear Coloration in Ciliates
Author(s) -
ALONSO PILAR
Publication year - 1974
Publication title -
the journal of protozoology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.067
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1550-7408
pISSN - 0022-3921
DOI - 10.1111/j.1550-7408.1974.tb03745.x
Subject(s) - macronucleus , differential staining , biology , paramecium caudatum , staining , ciliate , polytene chromosome , ciliata , nucleic acid , micronucleus test , protozoa , microbiology and biotechnology , paramecium , botany , genetics , chemistry , gene , drosophila melanogaster , organic chemistry , toxicity
SYNOPSIS. Application of the triple stain of Grosso (methyl green‐pyronin‐orange G) to the exconjugants of different species of ciliates produces a differential coloration of their nuclei. Both the old macronucleus or its remnants and the micronuclei bind methyl green whereas the newly developing macronucleus (macronuclear anlage) has a selective affinity for the orange G present in the mixture. This finding holds true not only for hypotrichous ciliates, whose macronuclear anlagen are involved in the formation of polytene chromosomes, but also for other ciliates not included in the order Hypotrichida. Such a reaction of the new macronuclei apparently results from the presence of non‐histone (acidic) proteins associated with the nucleic acids. The staining method is fully described to provide a more general application.