Mechanism of Bilateral Staining of Merino Wool Fibers with Basic Dyes

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Abstract
The mechanism of bilateral staining of the cortex of wool fibers by basic dyes has been investigated in detail. Merino wool fibers were treated with formic acid and pronase, and their behavior in staining with basic dyes such as methylene blue and janus green was examined using light and electron microscopy. Formic acid is known to remove intercellular cement, one of the nonkeratinous proteins, from the cell mem brane complex, while pronase removes all nonkeratinous proteins. Bilateral staining was still distinctly observed after cuticle removal, but not for wool fibers treated with pronase, for fiber fragments obtained by treatment with formic acid with stirring, or for cortical cell particles recovered after fibrillation of the cortex in formic acid. The microfibril-matrix structure of the cortex remained unchanged, however, even after treatment with formic acid and with pronase. These results imply that bilateral staining with basic dyes occurs because of the difference in the network structure of nonker atinous proteins, especially the intercellular cement of the cell membrane complex between the orthocortex and paracortex.

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