65th Anniversary of HCB: The 50 Most Cited Articles

Since its foundation in 1958, many groundbreaking papers have been published in Histochemistry and Cell Biology. In this first Collection celebrating the 65th anniversary of HCB, we are pleased to present the 50 topmost cited papers. As one would expect, they include methods for use in all fields of cell and developmental biology as well as light and electron microscopy and studies of their application. Further Collections celebrating the 65th anniversary of HCB will appear throughout 2023.

The most highly cited methods paper was by Schaeren-Wiemer and Gerfin-Moser demonstrating that In situ hybridization using digoxigenin-labelled cRNA probes is superior to radioactively labelled or alkaline phosphatase-labeled probes. A typical histochemical paper by Scott and Dorling came in second by reporting differential staining of acid glycosaminoglycans by Alcian Blue, and the use of Oil red O to determine and quantify the adipose differentiation of cells by Ramirez-Zacarias and coworkers was third. Remarkably, the histochemistry chart contains three papers by Pearse and coworkers about the detection of substance P in intestinal endocrine cells, enzyme histochemical studies of the nervous system, and skeletal muscle, and three papers by Danscher and coworkers presenting the light and electron microscopic localization of heavy metals, including gold, in tissues (1, 2, 3). In the 1970s visualization of biogenic amines by fluorescent histochemical methods (1, 2represented the standard approach. Already in 1968, Fisher reported a procedure for obtaining ribboned Epon semithin sections for high-resolution protein staining which can be considered as a forerunner model of correlative light and electron microscopy. Ranking 10th, Liou and coauthors critically improved the Tokuyasu technique of cryosectioning for immunogold labeling.

The most highly cited cell biology paper was by Moll and colleagues reviewing the biology and pathology of human keratins followed by reviews on oxidative stress in the placenta by Myatt and Cui and reactive oxygen species invascular biology by Touyz and Schiffrin. The review about the pathophysiology of the barrier function of tight junctions by Förster was part of a 50th anniversary series covering the cellular junctions.

We would like to express our gratitude to the authors, editors, and reviewers for their contributions to the success of HCB during the last 65 years and look forward to publish inspiring original findings and informative reviews.