| regressive staining | A type of staining in which tissues are overstained and the excess dye is then removed selectively until the desired intensity is obtained. (05 Mar 2000) |
|---|---|
| progressive staining | A procedure in which staining is continued until the desired intensity of colouring of tissue elements is attained. (05 Mar 2000) |
| homogeneously staining region | <molecular biology> A region on a chromosome which, when stained, is uniform in appearance. (Normally, a stained chromosome shows a banding pattern.) Homogeneously staining regions contain multiple copies of a single gene. (09 Oct 1997) |
| silver staining | The use of silver, usually silver nitrate, as a reagent for producing contrast or colouration in tissue specimens. (12 Dec 1998) |
| staining | The use of a dye, reagent, or other material for producing colouration in tissues or microorganisms for microscopic examination. (12 Dec 1998) |
| negative staining | Microscopic technique in which the object stands out against a dark background of stain. For electron microscopy the sample is suspended in a solution of an electron dense stain such as sodium phosphotungstate and then sprayed onto a support grid. The stain dries as structureless solid and fills all crevices in the sample. When examined in the electron microscope the sample appears as a light object against a dark background. Quite fine structural detail can be observed using negative staining and it has been used extensively to study the structure of viruses and other particulate samples. (18 Nov 1997) |
| dispersion staining | <microscopy> A procedure involving central or annular stops in the objective back focal plane to induce coloured images of transparent particles mounted in liquids with indices matching the particle at a wavelength in the visible. The particle and liquid should possess very different dispersion curves for best colours. (05 Aug 1998) |
| optical staining | <microscopy> Producing colour in the microscopical image so as to differentiate one part of the object from another. One way is by use of Rheinberg filters. Another is to use polarized light on an anisotropic specimen. Another important method is by dispersion staining. (05 Aug 1998) |
| receptors, cytoplasmic and nuclear | Proteins in the cytoplasm or nucleus that specifically bind signalling molecules and trigger changes which influence the behaviour of cells. The major groups are the steroid hormone receptors, which usually are found in the cytoplasm, and the thyroid hormone receptors, which usually are found in the nucleus. Receptors, unlike enzymes, generally do not catalyze chemical changes in their ligands. (12 Dec 1998) |
| Remak's nuclear division | <cell biology> An unusual form of nuclear division, in which the nucleus simply constricts, rather like a cell without chromosome condensation or spindle formation. Partitioning of daughter chromosomes is haphazard. Observed in some Protozoa. (18 Nov 1997) |
| Pelger-Huet nuclear anomaly | Congenital inhibition of lobulation in the nuclei of neutrophilic leukocytes; most cells present band or bilobulate appearance, and only an occasional cell is trilobed; it is not associated with disease, but may be confused with leukocyte "shift to left"; autosomal dominant inheritance. (05 Mar 2000) |
| ribonucleoproteins, small nuclear | Highly conserved nuclear RNA-protein complexes that function in RNA processing in the nucleus, including pre-mRNA splicing and pre-mRNA 3'-end processing in the nucleoplasm. The u3 snrnp is localised in the nucleolus, where it aligns into base pairs with the 28s rrna precursor in a still unidentified region and functions in pre-rrna processing. The u7 snrnp aligns into base pairs with a conserved sequence in the 3'-end of histone pre-mRNA and is an essential cofactor for the cleavage that creates the mature nonadenylated 3'-end. (12 Dec 1998) |
| RNA, heterogeneous nuclear | Nuclear nonribosomal RNA larger than about 1000 nucleotides, the mass of which is rapidly synthesised and degraded within the cell nucleus. Some heterogeneous nuclear RNA may be a precursor to mRNA. However, the great bulk of total hnrna hybridises with nuclear DNA rather than with mRNA. (12 Dec 1998) |
| RNA, nuclear | RNA molecules found in the nucleus either associated with chromosomes or in the nucleoplasm. (12 Dec 1998) |
| RNA, small nuclear | Short chains of RNA found in the nucleus. Their function is to remove the introns (nontranslated intervening sequences) from mRNA precursors, thereby bringing the two exons (coding segments) together into correct juxtaposition for enzymatic splicing at the correct point. The resulting mRNA is now ready to leave the nucleus. (12 Dec 1998) |