Vital stains are used as artificial marker in fate map construction. Which of the following is not a vital stain?

Key Points

Fate mapping

• Fate mapping is a method used in developmental biology to study the embryonic origin of various adult tissues and structures
• The fate of each cell or group of cells is mapped onto the embryo, showing which parts of the embryo will develop into which tissue.

Vital stain

• Vital stain markings are used to construct fate maps
• It is a stain that can be applied on living cells without killing them
• Vital staining is used for the coloration of living cells or tissues
• Examples of Vital stain:

1. Nile blue
   • It is a stain used with live or fixed cells
   • It imparts a blue colour to cell nuclei
2. Janus green B
   • It is a basic dye and vital stain
   • It is also used to stain mitochondria supravitally
   • It changes colour according to the amount of oxygen present
   • When oxygen is present, the indicator oxidizes to a blue colour and pink in absence of oxygen
3. Bismarck brown
   • Bismarck brown Y is a metachromatic dye
4. ​Neutral red
   • ​​It is used to stain lysosomes red

Neilson red copper is not a vital stain, so the correct answer is option (3).