A method for identifying megakaryocytic and erythroid cells by a combined immunocytochemical and cytochemical stain

The effectiveness of immunoperoxidase staining for platelet glycoprotein llb/llla coupled with cytochemical staining for hemoglobin has been evaluated as a dual staining technique for identifying lineage-specific characteristics of the megakaryocytic and erythroid series in cells of the same hemopoietic tissue preparation. A. sequence of staining was established which produced a circumferential brown stain around cells of the megakaryocytic series, and a diffuse yellow to orange stain in the cytoplasm of cells of the erythroid series. Each staining reaction possessed a high degree of specificity and sensitivity which enabled the combined stain to provide a convenient means for establishing the megakaryocytic and erythroid nature of individual cells in hematological specimens where classification cannot be achieved with certainty on morphological grounds.