Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Double-Staining Method to Detect Pectin in Plant-Fungus Interaction
Published on: February 4, 2022
Abstract:
INTRODUCTIONThe periodic acid Schiff (PAS) reaction is useful for looking at cell walls, especially in meristematic tissues. Total carbohydrates of insoluble polysaccharides (e.g., starch and cellulose) stain magenta to purplish red. Toluidine blue O or fast green is routinely used as a counterstain to improve contrast. In the gynoecium of the Arabidopsis flower, the transmitting tract cells are made of acid proteoglycans and acid glycoproteins. The cell walls of these cells should be stained with Alcian Blue instead of using the PAS reaction. Alcian Blue, which stains the walls a dark blue, can be used alone or as a counterstain with the PAS reaction to highlight cell walls that do not react with Alcian Blue.
Related Concept Videos
Differential Staining Technique
Special Staining Techniques
Fixation and Sectioning
The simplest type of preparation is the wet mount, in which the specimen is placed in a drop of liquid on the slide. A liquid specimen can be directly deposited on the slide using a dropper. Solid specimens, such as skin scraping, can be placed on the slide before adding a drop of liquid to prepare the wet mount. Sometimes the liquid is simply water, but stains are often added...
Simple Staining Technique

