chromatin

[ kroh-muh-tin ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

, Cell Biology.

the readily stainable substance of a cell nucleus, consisting of DNA, RNA, and various proteins, that forms chromosomes during cell division.

chromatin

/ ˈkrəʊmətɪn /

cytology the part of the nucleus that consists of DNA and proteins, forms the chromosomes, and stains with basic dyes See also euchromatin heterochromatin

chromatin

/ krō′mə-tĭn /

The substance distributed in the nucleus of a cell that condenses to form chromosomes during cell division. It consists mainly of DNA and proteins called histones .

First recorded in 1880–85; chromat- + -in ²

Malarial parasites stain characteristically: the cytoplasm, sky-blue; the chromatin, reddish-purple.

Typical "segmenters" present a ring of rounded segments or spores, each with a small, dot-like chromatin mass.

Half the chromatin material passes into each of the two cells formed.

Thus sex is inherited, like other characters, by the action of the chromatin material of the cell nucleus.

When the cell is resting, the chromatin is dispersed through the nucleus in a mass of broken lines, forming a kind of network.

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