A staining procedure for determining the approximate isoelectric points of substances has been applied to tissue sections containing (a) intracytoplasmic crystals in a lympho-plasmocytoid cell, (b) Russell bodies of plasmocytes, and (c) secondary and primary amyloids. The same method was also applied to sections of human gamma globulin.

The results indicate the similarity of Russell bodies, the crystals, and gamma globulin, all of which showed an isoelectric range between pH 6 and 7.5. Other staining methods employed tended to confirm this identity.

The discrepancies reported in the literature on the staining properties of Russell bodies are discussed.

All of the amyloids tested had an apparent isoelectric point near pH 5. Various suggestions in the literature about the nature and origin of amyloid are summarized.

This content is only available as a PDF.
Sign in via your Institution