Journal of Histochemistry and Cytochemistry Priciples for Free Access to Science
  Search:   
    >> Advanced Search

Guidelines | Subscriptions | About | exPRESS - Current - Archive | Business Information | Contact
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by HOLMES, E. J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by HOLMES, E. J.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati  
What's this?

A NINHYDRIN HISTOCHEMICAL TEST SPECIFIC FOR HAIR KERATIN

ELIZABETH J. HOLMES 1

1 Department of Pathology, Temple University Health Sciences Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The reaction of ninhvdrin with agr-amino groups of amino acids and proteins results in deamination of the amino acid or protein to form a nitrogen-containing blue dye complex. This molecule is small and highly diffusible, a property which was utilized in the development of a ninhvdrin histochemical test specific for hair keratin. Using a silicone rubber cement. which is resistant to boiling solutions, for the attachment of tissue sections to slides, the sections could be boiled in a ninhydrin solution. The ninhydrin reaction product is lost to the surrounding medium in the case of all tissues except hair keratin. Hair keratin is stained blue. No other keratin. including epidermal keratin or inner root sheath keratin. stains by this method. Although the exact chemistry of the reaction is unknown. evidence is cited for the probability that only a certain molecular arrangement of cystine in a polypeptide chain found almost exclusively in hair keratin can form an attachment site for the dye molecules.

Submitted on April 4, 1968


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?





Guidelines | Subscriptions | About | exPRESS - Current - Archive | Business Information | Contact
The Journal of Histochemistry & Cytochemistry is owned, published, and licensed by The Histochemical Society © 1968