A good control for Mayer mucicarmine stain is which tissue?

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Multiple Choice

A good control for Mayer mucicarmine stain is which tissue?

Explanation:
Mayer mucicarmine is used to detect mucin, which is abundant in goblet cells. A tissue that reliably shows mucin staining serves as a good control, confirming the stain is working properly. The appendix is a classic choice because its goblet cells produce copious mucin, and the mucicarmine stain colorizes this mucin a bright red (with nuclei remaining blue from the counterstain). Tissues such as liver, spleen, and kidney don’t have many goblet cells or mucin, so they won’t demonstrate the expected red mucin signal and are not suitable as controls.

Mayer mucicarmine is used to detect mucin, which is abundant in goblet cells. A tissue that reliably shows mucin staining serves as a good control, confirming the stain is working properly. The appendix is a classic choice because its goblet cells produce copious mucin, and the mucicarmine stain colorizes this mucin a bright red (with nuclei remaining blue from the counterstain). Tissues such as liver, spleen, and kidney don’t have many goblet cells or mucin, so they won’t demonstrate the expected red mucin signal and are not suitable as controls.

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