Investigation of hycanthone binding to DNA in chromatin with different supra-organization, composition, and function

Toluidine blue staining for cell and tissue biology applications

Toluidine blue (TB) staining either alone or in association with other methodologies has the potential to answer a variety of biological questions regarding the human, animal and plant tissues or cells. In this brief review, we not only report the primary use of TB to detect the anionic substrates and availability of their binding sites, but also unveil the resulting applications of TB staining in biological research. Among these applications, the uses of TB staining to identify the changes in chromatin DNA-protein complexes, nucleolus location, and extracellular matrix proteoglycan complexes associated with different physiological and pathological events are described. The usefulness of TB staining to monitor the effects elicited by environmental insults on chromatin and intercalation of drugs into the DNA is also included.

Optical anisotropy of toluidine blue-stained transformed cell nuclei

Changes in chromatin order with cell transformation were studied in terms of optical anisotropy (birefringence) in toluidine blue-stained NIH 3T3 and Balb/3T3 cells. The transformed NIH 3T3 cell lines used were obtained by transfection with the T24 cell H-ras oncogene and the whole genomic DNA of MCF-7 human breast carcinoma cells. C2PO and PAP2 cell lines were used as representatives of Ha-ras-transformed NIH 3T3 cells with poor and high metastatic ability, respectively. The chromatin of all cells examined exhibited metachromasy and a birefringence of greenish-yellow interference color. The highest birefringence intensity was found in the chromatin granules of the most frequent nuclear phenotype of ras- and MCF-7 DNA-transformed cells, with the exception of the cells with high metastatic ability, in which a faint birefringence was observed. The differences in chromatin birefringence intensity are assumed to indicate differences in chromatin stereoarrangement with cell transformation. In the case of the highly tumorigenic and/or highly metastatic transformants the faint birefringence is assumed to be associated with the heterogeneous and complex physiological processes that may require a relatively less ordered arrangement of the chromatin.

Critical electrolyte concentration and dispersion of birefringence in heterochromatin and euchromatin of copper sulfate-treated specimens of Triatoma infestans Klug

Binding of toluidine blue molecules to DNA phosphates under Mg2+ competitive staining conditions and dispersion of birefringence were studied in heterochromatin and euchromatin of Malpighian tubule cells of the hemipteran, Triatoma infestans; 24 h after treatment with copper sulfate. The objective was to detect whether copper binds to chromatin DNA, affecting the critical electrolyte concentration (CEC) value and the chromatin anisotropy in these chromatin types. A decrease in CEC values as measured by metachromasy abolition, and in the concentration of Mg2+ leading to a change from anomalous dispersion of birefringence to normal dispersion of birefringence was found for the heterochromatin and euchromatin of two different nuclear types in the copper-treated material. Protein dissociation from DNA, leading to increased numbers of DNA phosphates available for dye binding, promoted by Mg2+ concentrations above that corresponding to the CEC point is suggested. Based on anisotropy findings, the binding of copper to DNA was assumed not to affect the usual molecular orientation of the DNA.