FINE-STRUCTURE OF CHROMATIN AS VISUALIZED IN THIN-SECTIONS WITH THE GAUTIER SELECTIVE STAIN FOR DNA

The fine structure of hepatocyte chromatin has been studied in thin sections stained with the Feulgen-like reaction with the osmium-ammine complex according to Cogliati and Gautier (4). The results demonstrated that the dispersed chromatin in regenerating rat hepatocytes was enriched in thin filaments with a mean diameter of 12 nm, whereas the condensed chromatin in resting rat hepatocytes has been visualized as highly compact masses of closely associated knobby fibers with a mean diameter of 20 nm. α-Amanitin treatment induced in regenerating hepatocytes a marked reduction of the quantity of the 12-nm threads and a concurrent increase of the quantity of the 20-nm thick fibers. These latter structures were composed either of discontinuous or of compact chains of 20-nm globular bodies. © 1979 Academic Press, Inc.