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Feulgen nucleal reaction

II. Approaches to the understanding of mechanism of in vitro reaction

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Summary

Electrophoretic means of separation revealed the presence of as many as five reaction products in Schiff-apurinic acid reaction at the maximum. They differed not only in their absorption maxima, but also in their ratios of apurinic acid phosphorus to fuchsin moiety. Some considerations on the reaction mechanism to account for the occurrence of these multiple reaction products have been made. The stoichiometry of Schiff-apurinic acid reaction was studied with respect to the main product responsible for the presentation of reaction color. A reaction product consisting of six or eight atom moles of apurinic acid phosphorus per mole of fuchsin moiety is to be formed, provided that the reagent of infinite concentration is used. From theoretical view point, a reaction product consisting of four atom moles of apurinic acid phosphorus per mole of fuchsin moiety is to be expected with the reagent of infinite concentration, provided that apurinic acid retains essentially the nucleotide sequence of its parent desoxyribonucleic acid except for some modification of the original purin nucleotide groups to react as aldehyde moieties, and provided that the reaction proceeds at a constant rate irrespective of the concentrations of the reagent.

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Hiraoka, T. Feulgen nucleal reaction. Histochemie 35, 283–296 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00310667

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