Plant microtechnique: some principles and new methods
Some easily seen structural features of living plant cells are destroyed or badly distorted by most of the common fixatives and embedding media used in plant histology. In stained sections of plant tissues fixed in FAA (formalin-acetic acid-alcohol mixtures) and embedded in paraffin wax, for example, mitochondria and fine transvacuolar strands of cytoplasm are usually not visible. Many structural features such as these can be preserved, however, with suitable fixatives and embedding media. Fixation in non-coagulant fixatives (e.g., osmium tetroxide, acrolein, glutaraldehyde, formaldehyde) and the use of plastics as embedding media is recommended. A method of fixation in acrolein and embedding in glycol methacrylate polymer is described in detail. In a wide range of plant specimens prepared in this way, stained sections 1-3 microns thick showed excellent preservation of tissue and cell structures. 39 references, 11 figures.
- Research Organization:
- Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA
- OSTI ID:
- 5522725
- Journal Information:
- Am. J. Bot.; (United States), Journal Name: Am. J. Bot.; (United States) Vol. 55:1; ISSN AJBOA
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
ACETIC ACID
ACROLEIN
ALCOHOLS
ALDEHYDES
BIOLOGY
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
CELL CONSTITUENTS
CHALCOGENIDES
CYTOLOGY
CYTOPLASM
FORMALDEHYDE
HISTOLOGICAL TECHNIQUES
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
INJURIES
MATERIALS
MITOCHONDRIA
MONOCARBOXYLIC ACIDS
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANOIDS
OSMIUM COMPOUNDS
OSMIUM OXIDES
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PETROCHEMICALS
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
PLANT CELLS
PLASTICS
RECOMMENDATIONS
REFRACTORY METAL COMPOUNDS
SAMPLE PREPARATION
STAINS
SYNTHETIC MATERIALS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS