Nissl staining

A Nissl-stained histological section through the hippocampus of a rodent. Different classes of nerve cells can be recognized.

The Nissl staining , named after Franz Nissl is a histological staining technique , in particular for the preparation of nerve tissue used. For this purpose, histological sections are mixed with a dye such as cresyl violet , toluidine blue or thionine. These dyes bind to basophilic compounds such as RNA and DNA and therefore color the cell nuclei and ribosomes blue or purple.

Since the ribosomes are more concentrated in the nerve cell body in the nerve tissue than in its appendages ( axon , dendrite ), only the cell bodies are stained. In these, the so-called “ Nissl clods ” appear during the staining , which correspond to the rough endoplasmic reticulum to which many ribosomes are attached.

Web links

• Nissl staining - method and reference to laboratory protocol (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Wissenschaft-Online-Lexika: Entry on “Nissl staining” in the Lexikon der Biologie, accessed on November 26, 2010.
2. ↑ Andrea Kádár, Gábor Wittmann, Zsolt Liposits, Csaba Fekete: Improved method for combination of immunocytochemistry and Nissl staining. In: Journal of Neuroscience Methods. 184, 2009, pp. 115-118, doi : 10.1016 / j.jneumeth.2009.07.010 .