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P T Donaldson

Publications and source records attributed to P T Donaldson.

17 recordsLinked to original sources

HLA DQA, DQB, and DRB genotyping by oligonucleotide analysis: distribution of alleles and haplotypes in British caucasoids.

A precise method for comprehensive HLA DQA and DQB genotyping using gene amplification and hybridization with sequence-specific oligonucleotide (SSO) probes is described. Twenty-four SSO probes were used to detect all DQ allotypes defined by nucleotide sequence variation in the second exons of the DQ genes, using a standard set of conditions for all probes at each locus. Five hundred individuals were genotyped for 8 DQA1 and 16 DQB1 alleles by using this method and for 33 alleles of the DRB1, DRB3, DRB4, and DRB5 genes by using previously described SSO probes. The 4-locus DQB1-DQA1-DRB1-DRB3/4/5 haplotypes present were characterized on the basis of known linkage disequilibrium between class II alleles. Fifty-two different haplotypes that have previously been described were further characterized at the nucleotide sequence level and two novel haplotypes were identified. The distributions of these alleles and haplotypes in 177 randomly selected healthy Caucasoid controls from the United Kingdom are reported. These results identify further haplotypic diversity in the HLA class II region, even though strong linkage disequilibrium exists between the DR and DQ gene loci.

Adult

Lower azure B methylene blue ratios in Giemsa type blood and malaria stains.

Starting from ancient reports that rare samples of methylene blue were apparently sufficiently contaminated with azures to give red plasmodial and red purple nuclear chromatin in Chenzinsky type methylene blue eosin stains, it was decided to determine how little azure B would suffice for such staining in methylene blue eosin stains. The traditional 1902 Giemsa had an azure : methylene blue : eosin ratio of about 6 : 3 : 6.3 : 10; Lillie's 1943 formula had a 5 : 7 : 10 ratio. In the current series of tests 5 : 7 : 10 (I), 4 : 8 : 10 (II), 3 : 9 : 10 (III), 2 : 10 : 10 (IV), 1 : 11 : 10 (V), and 0 : 12 : 10 (VI) were used. Malaria and blood stains were better than the standard 5 : 7 : 10 (I) in III, IV and II in that order. Normal and leukemic human blood, mouse blood with Plasmodium berghei, and monkey blood with the CDC strain of Pl. falciparum were used as test materials. The staining mixtures were made from highly purified samples of azure B and methylene blue. Staining mixtures contained 12 ml 0.1% thiazin dye, 10 ml 0.1% eosin, 2 ml each of glycerol, methanol and 0.1 M phosphate buffer pH 6.5, 3 ml acetone as accelerator, and distilled water to make 40 ml; staining times of 10--30 min were used.

Azure Stains

Borax methylene blue: a spectroscopic and staining study.

Borax methylene blue is quite stable at room temperatures of 22-25 C. At 30 C polychroming is slow; during 50 days in a water bath at this temperature the absorption peak moves from 665 to 656 nm. At 35 C, the absorption peak reaches 660 nm in 7 days, 654 nm in 14. At 60 C polychroming is rapid, the absorption peak reaching 640-620 nm in 3 days. When the pH of the borax methylene blue solutions, normally about 9.0, is adjusted to pH 6.5, the absorption peak remains at 665 nm even when incubated at 60 C for extended periods. When used as a blood stain 0.4 ml borax methylene blue (1% methylene blue in 1% borax), 4 ml acetone, 2 ml borax-acid phosphate buffer to bring the solution to pH 6.5, and distilled water to make 40 ml, with 0.2 ml 1% eosin added just before using, an excellent Nocht-Giemsa type stain is achieved after 30 minutes staining. The material plasmodia P. falciparum, P. vivax, and P. berghei stain moderate blue with dark red chromatin and green to black pigment granules. The study confirms Malachowski's 1891 results and explains Gautier's 1896-98 failure to duplicate it.

Borates

Reduction and azo coupling of quinones. A histochemical study of human cutaneous melanin and adrenochrome.

Cutaneous melanin in formol fixed skin and adrenochrome in dichromate fixed monkey adrenal after adequate bisulfite or dithonite reduction were found to give definite azo coupling reactions. Weaker reactions were obtained on unreduced material, and these disappeared on ferric chloride oxidation. Both cutaneous melanin and adrenochrome appear to exist in a quinhydrone status. Prolongation of dichromate treatment weakens or abolishes azo coupling capacity of adrenochrome. The findings support the concept of quinonization and reduction to prevent and restore azo coupling of enterochromaffin cells and noradrenaline islets of the adrenal. The most effective diazos for melanin were p-nitrodiazobenzene, fast black K and the diazosulfanilic acid, pH 1 pyronin B procedure, for adrenochrome. Diazosafranin and 2-chloro-4-nitrodiazobenzene were also useful. Blue and violet coupling products from toluidine blue and methylene violet RR fail to yield sufficient contrast to be convincing.

Adrenal Glands

Nuclear stains with soluble metachrome metal mordant dye lakes. The effect of chemical endgroup blocking reactions and the artificial introduction of acid groups into tissues.

Following our study on the effect of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) extraction on nuclear staining with soluble metal mordant dye lakes covering 29 dye lakes we chose a series of lakes representing the three groups: (1) readily prevented by DNA removal, (2) weakened by DNA extraction but not prevented, (3) unaffected by DNA removal, for application of other endgroup blockade reactions. The lakes selected were alum and iron hematoxylins, iron alum and ferrous sulfate galleins, Fe2+ gallo blue E, iron alum celestin blue B, iron alum fluorone black and the phenocyanin TC-FeSO4 sequence. Azure A with and without an eosin B neutral stain, was used as a simple cationic (and anionic) dye control. Methylation was less effective than with simple cationic dyes, but did weaken celestin blue, gallo blue E and phenocyanin Fe2+ nuclear stains. These dyes also demonstrate other acid groups: acid mucins, cartilage matrix, mast cells, central nervous corpora amylacea and artificially introduced carboxyl, sulfuric and sulfonic acid groups. Alum hematoxylin stained cartilage weakly and demonstrated sulfation and sulfonation sites. The iron galleins, iron fluorone black and acid iron hematoxylin do not. A pH 4 iron alum hematoxylin gave no staining of these sites; an alum hematoxylin acidified with 1% 12 N HCl gave weaker results. Deamination prevented eosin and orange G counterstains but did not impair nuclear stains with any of the mordant dye lakes. The simple acetylations likewise did not alter mordant dye nuclear staining, the Skraup reagent gave its usual sulfation effect on other tissue elements, but did not alter nuclear stains by mordant dyes. The mordant dyes do not bind to periodic acid engendered aldehyde sites and p-toluidine/acetic acid and borohydride aldehyde blockades did not alter mordant dye lake nuclear staining. Nitration by tetranitromethane, which blocks azo coupling of tyrosine residues, did not alter nuclear staining by the mordant dye lakes. Benzil at pH 13, which prevents the beta-naphthoquinone-4-Na sulfonate (NQS) arginine reaction and the Fullmer reaction of basic nucleoprotein, did not affect iron gallein, iron or alum hematoxylin stains of nuclei or lingual keratohyalin.

Aldehydes

The effect of graded 60 degrees C 1N nitric acid extraction and of deoxyribonuclease digestion on nuclear staining by metachrome mordant dye metal salt mixtures.

We can divide metachrome mordant staining of nuclei after graded 60 degrees C 1 N nitric acid extraction into three groups. The Feulgen nucleal reaction and dilute cationic dye staining of nuclei are abolished in about 30 minutes. With one group of metachrome dyes nuclear staining is lost with acid exposures of one hour or less. In a second group nuclear staining is weakened by 30-60 minute extractions, but persists in recognizable grade for 4-6 hours. In the third group nuclear staining remains almost unimpaired for 4-6 hours. In the first group the nuclear staining seems clearly assignable to the nucleic acids and to DNA in particular. In the second group loss of part of the reactivity on short exposure indicates some participation of DNA in the control staining result, as well as participation of basic nucleoprotein. In the third group staining seems assignable largely to basic nucleoprotein. The five gallocyanin group dyes, all in group 1, all possess a dialkylamino group, probably functioning as an ammonium chloride.Hematoxylin, the flurone blacks and gallein all present an o-hydroxysemiquinone group which probably acts as a weak acid, in addition to the carboxyl group of gallein which gives the strongest staining of nuclei at the longest acid exposure. Deoxyribonuclease digestion (2 hours, 37 degrees C) separated sharply a class in which nuclear staining failed completely, a class in which nuclear staining was fully equal to that in the control preparations and an intermediate group in which slight, moderate, or severa impairment was present. Generally there was good agreement between the two methods of nucleic acid removal, despite the fixation difference. In each case, however, the extraction procedure was one worked out for the fixation on which it was used.

Alum Compounds

Hematoxylin substitutes: a survey of mordant dyes tested and consideration of the relation of their structure to performance as nuclear stains.

In the search for hematoxylin substitutes 26 dyes were more or less extensively tested for performance as nuclear stains, usually in combination with aluminum, chronic, ferrous and ferric salts. Reports from the literature on hematoxylin substitutes were also considered, and efforts were made to obtain samples of favorably reported dyes and test them. The reports on anthocyanins include isolated reports on several berry juices and a considerable number of studies on Sambucus niger and Vaccinium myrtillus. None of these have so far been tested by us. Otherwise favorable reports have appeared on eleven synthetic dyes and on carmine, brazilin, and hematin. Except for one of the synthetics, naphthazarin, which is no longer fractured, we had samples of all of these. In addition, more or less unsuccessful trials were made on twelve dyestuffs, some of which were new syntheses designed to combine chelating capacity with nucleophilia. Following Fyg's report of blue nuclear staining with chrome alum carmine, trial was made to change the red nuclear stain of kernechtrot by altering the metal mordant. The most successful dyes were phenocyanin TC, gallein, fluorone black, alizarin cyanin BB and alizarin blue S. Celestin blue B with an iron mordant is quite successful if properly handled to prevent gelling of solutions.

Adult

Hematoxylin substitutes. A study of phenocyanin TC and the use of afterchrome mordanting in histology.

A practical, simple synthesis of the obsolete mordant dye, phenocyanin, was devised, proceding from gallocyanin and resorcinol with acid and heat. The dye gave promise of good performance in metachrome iron mixtures, but because of excessive precipitation, the practice of afterchroming was taken from textile dyeing usage, and proved very successful. Of a number of metallic salts tried, Fe II proved to be the best, then Cu II and Fe III. The stain acts as a cationic dye on nucleic acids and other acidic tissue components: acid mucins, cartilage, mast cells, corpora amylacea, etc. The afterchroming process renders the stain much more resistant to various extraction agents and even moderately resistant to acid alcohol. Color values are quite comparable to those obtained with hematoxylin-eosin when an eosin counterstain is used. Nuclei basophilic cytoplasm, Nissl granules, and bacteria color dark blue; cartilage, mast cells, and some acid mucins, deep violet. Staining with the 1% solution was essentially unaltered from neutrality down to 1.2 N HCl, pH 0.68, and dilution of the dye to 0.05% in 1% conc. HCl (pH 1.2) still gave excellent nuclear, RNA, and mast-cell staining. At 0.02% and pH 1.2, nuclear staining was distinctly weakened; mast cell granules were still dark violet.

Benzopyrans

Hematoxylin substitutes: fluorone black and methyl fluorone black (9-phenyl- and 9-methyl-2,3,7-trihydroxy-6-fluorone) as metachrome iron alum mordant dyes.

The phenyl and methyl trihydroxyfluorones, hitherto used histologically only in the rather difficult and unreliable Turchini technics for discriminating deoxyribonucleic from ribonucleic acid, find a new use as iron mordant metachrome dyes which act as nuclear stains. Nuclear staining is unaffected by acid extraction of nucleic acids, as with hematoxylin lakes. The two dyes, named by Liebermann and Lindenbaum 9-phenyl-2, 3, 7-trihydroxy-6-fluorone, have also acquired (illustrating with the phenyl homolog) longer chemical names of the form 2,6,7-trihydroxy-9-phenylisoxanthene-3-one (Eastman). Aldrich and Pfalz-Bauer adhere to the Liebermann-Lindenbaum nomenclature. The trivial name fluorone black is proposed for the phenyl homolog and methyl fluorone black for the methyl homolog. The iron lake of fluorone black appears to be a useful substitute for iron hematoxylin, methyl flurone black less useful. Neither dye has the diverse capability of hematoxylin.

Aluminum