Relationship of ploidy and chromatin condensation in the rat liver, moreover a comparison of the nuclear texture in sections and touch preparations.

In touch preparations and tissue sections from normal rat hepatocytes and alpha-amanitine- and actinomycin D-poisoned liver cells the extent of chromatin condensation relatively to the degree of ploidy and the chromatin distribution were studied by means of computer aided cytophotometry. It could be found, that the relationship of the condensed and decondensed chromatin is independent of the degree of ploidy and first of all dependent upon the intoxicant. Therefore, the extent of chromatin condensation can be utilized also in sections as additional parameter for automated cell screening.