The microspectrometrical determination of the nucleus-total-cell-protein-ratio: a possibility of objective cell type analysis.

Cells from smears of the normal human squamous epithelium of the gingiva, fixed and stained for protein using the tetrazonium method optimized by Nöhammer and calibrated by Nöhammer et al., were investigated. The extinctions of both the total cells and of the rectangular areas circumscribing the nuclei, were measured microspectrometrically. Altogether 417 cells from 6 healthy persons of both sexes were investigated. 9 distinct subgroups of cells were found showing an exact linear correlation between nuclear and total cell extinctions. In the graph of both the nuclear and the total cell extinctions the 9 subgroups can be seen as 9 distinct linear groups of points, defined exactly by their regression lines. Thus, every squamous epithelial cell within the smear can be typed definitely and objectively in respect to its membership of one of these 9 linear groups of points. The obviously definite, legitimate connection between the extinctions of the total cells and of their nuclei affords a glimpse into the processes of cellular differentiation and allows the definition of the so-called stem cell in terms of protein content of the total cell and of the nucleus.