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Discrepancies between cytophotometric alkaline Fast Green measurements and nuclear histone protein content

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Nuclei of different cell types of the myelopoietic series from normal human bone marrow smears were stained with Fast Green FCF, and their dye uptake estimated by cytophotometry. In very immature cell types (myeloblasts and promyelocytes), a high percentage of nuclei either did not stain, or had a dye content too low to be measured. Fast Green absorbencies were increased in the more mature stages. The highest values occurred in mature polymophonuclear leukocytes. The varying Fast Green absorbancies in the nuclei of different cell types suggest that the staining capacity of histone proteins depends on the functional state of the chromatin and does not indicate variations in the histone content of the nuclei.

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Noeske, K. Discrepancies between cytophotometric alkaline Fast Green measurements and nuclear histone protein content. Histochem J 5, 303–311 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01004799

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