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H G DAVIES

Publications and source records attributed to H G DAVIES.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

The occurrence and possible significance of haemoglobin in the chromosomal regions of mature erythrocyte nuclei of the newt Triturus cristatus cristatus.

Absorption measurements in violet light (lambda 4047 A) of thin sections of mature newt erythrocytes have indicated the presence of a haem compound, probably haemoglobin, within the chromosomal regions of the nucleus. The amount is about 45 per cent of that in the cytoplasm. The possible significance of this nuclear haemoglobin in determining nuclear structure is discussed in terms of the electrostatic interaction of haemoglobin and nucleohistone.

Animals↗

The variation in the structure of erythrocyte nuclei with fixation.

Observations have been made on the role of a divalent cation (calcium ion) during OsO(4) fixation of nuclei of frog erythrocytes, mainly after isolation from cells. The volume of the nucleus depends partly on the molecular interaction of charged macromolecules, is controlled by the ionic strength of the medium, and hence may be used as a guide in attempts to preserve structure. When the isolation and fixation media contain 0.01 M calcium at pH 6.3 the volume changes, in the light microscope, during processing are small. When the fixative does not contain these ions, reversible volume changes occur during fixation and dehydration. The chromatin of nuclei processed with minimal volume change appears, in the electron microscope, to contain fine dots and lines about 20 to 40 A in diameter, relatively close together. The chromatin structure of nuclei in which volume changes have occurred consists of dense irregularly shaped patches, relatively far apart, and ranging in diameter from about 200 A down to the limits of visibility (20 to 30 A). It is suggested that the latter structure is a precipitation artefact.

Calcium↗

Structure in nucleated erythrocytes.

The structure of the nucleated erythrocyte of frog and chicken has been investigated by electron microscopy and correlated with the distribution of haemoglobin and DNA-containing material determined by haem absorption and Feulgen staining in the light microscope. The nuclei of both species are found to contain haemoglobin which is continuous with the haemoglobin in the cytoplasm through holes or pores in the nuclear envelope. In addition the nucleus of the frog erythrocyte sometimes contains a single invagination which is lined by the nuclear envelope. The structure of the nuclear envelope and the pores and the organisation of the nucleus are similar to those already described for other somatic cells. Erythrocytes differ from the cells previously studied in that a continuity, via the nuclear pores, of chemical substance in the interior of the nucleus and in the cytoplasm can be directly demonstrated. This is due to the fact that the cytoplasm of erythrocytes is simple, consisting predominantly of haemoglobin, and that haemoglobin is easily recognised by its specific absorption. The static pictures obtained by electron microscopy have been supplemented by observations in phase-contrast of the changes in refraction of the cell contents due to the diffusion of the haemoglobin from the nucleus into the cytoplasm during haemolysis.

Cell Nucleus↗