Abstract
The osmium ammine staining allows the specific detection of DNA in the cell nucleus and represents one of the most used techniques for EM cytochemistry.
The procedure is a Feulgen-type reaction, consisting of an acid hydrolysis to obtain free aldehyde groups on DNA followed by their binding to osmium ammine, a Schiff-type reagent. Osmium ammine is polyamminic electron-dense compound commercially available.
Here, we describe the staining procedure for ultrathin sections and the different procedures for the preparation of the reagent for acrylic and epoxy sections.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Ms. Francine Flach for excellent technical skill in preparing the ultrathin sections.
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Masiello, I., Biggiogera, M. (2017). Osmium Ammine for Staining DNA in Electron Microscopy. In: Pellicciari, C., Biggiogera, M. (eds) Histochemistry of Single Molecules. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1560. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-6788-9_19
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-6788-9_19
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Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY
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Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-6788-9
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