ABSTRACT
The composite staining reaction of the cytoplasm is the basis for the descriptive term “polychromatophilic erythroblast” for the relatively mature erythroblasts. Perhaps the most recognized, specific application of cytochemistry to the study of the erythrocyte is the identification of reticulocytes by the supravital staining technique, i.e., the in vitro staining of viable unfixed cells to reveal residual cytoplasmic ribonucleoprotein. Small white unstained dots or bacilluslike rods within the cytoplasmic basophilia of immature erythroblasts identify mitochondria while a large unstained paranuclear region, localizes the Golgi apparatus. The staining intensity, according to the latter investigators, is directly related to the maturity of the cells. The initially diffuse cytoplasmic basophilia of early erythroblasts is seen to diminish in intensity while the overall coloration of the cytoplasm evolves as the number of basophilic ribosomes diminishes and the amount of hemoglobin increases with maturation of the cell.
