Cell Staining for Immunofluorescence Microscopy. Includes protocols for fixing the cells, Coverslip Preparation for Adherent Cells, Coverslip Preparation for Non-Adherent Cells, Paraformaldehyde Fixation, and Methanol/Acetone Fixation. Blocking protocols include blocking with primary antibody, and incubation with secondary antibody. - [Read Cell Staining for Immunofluorescence Microscopy]
Organic solvents such as alcohols and acetone remove lipids and dehydrate cells, precipitating the proteins on the cellular architecture. Be aware that different antigens may be affected differently by the various solvents. If no previous data are available for your antigen, start with the 50/50 mixture. For tissue culture dishes, concentrations of acetone higher than 50% will destroy the integrity of the plastic. - [Read Fixing Attached Cells in Organic Solvents Protocol]
Treating cells with paraformaldehyde leads to the establishment of chemical cross-links between free amino groups. When the cross-links join different molecules, a latticework of interactions occurs that holds the overall architecture of the cell together. Commercial formaldehyde solutions are not recommended, because they lack the advantages of using a variable-length polymer, and the cells will simultaneously be fixed with the alcohol (usually methanol). - [Read Fixing Attached Cells in Paraformaldehyde Protocol]
Bouin’s fixative is a particularly good choice for worms because it penetrates dense tissues well and is extremely good for fixing antigens. Like all strong fixatives, however, it is unsuitable for some antibody-antigen pairs. In such cases, the length of time in the Bouin’s fixative can be shortened, or paraformaldehyde fixation can be used instead. - [Read Fixing Caenorhabditis elegans in Bouin’s Fixative Protocol]
Common method for fixing worms is to use paraformaldehyde. This method provides a gentler fixation than the Bouin’s method, but often requires the use of collagenase. This method is particularly good for examining adult worms. - [Read Fixing Caenorhabditis elegans in Paraformaldehyde Protocol]
Treating cells with paraformaldehyde leads to the establishment of chemical cross-links between free amino groups. When the cross-links join different molecules, a latticework of interactions occurs that holds the overall architecture of the cell together. - [Read Fixing Suspension Cells with Paraformaldehyde Protocol]
Glass is an excellent substrate for most tissue-culture-adapted cells and is compatible with all fixing and staining solutions. Glass coverslips in tissue-culture dishes or in 24-well multiwell plates are suitable carriers, as are multiwell slides. For high-resolution studies, choose glass coverslips of the highest available grade; #1 or #1.5 coverslips are the appropriate thickness. - [Read Growing Adherent Cells on Coverslips or Multiwell Slides Protocol]
The standard protocol for in situ hybridizations in plants still involves fixing fresh tissue, embedding the tissue in wax, sectioning with a microtome and detection of the transcripts of interest using labeled RNA-probes. This protocol concentrates only on nonradioactive methods, as they are easy to perform, very sensitive and even faster than techniques involving radioisotope labels. - [Read Molecular and Biochemical Analysis of Arabidopsis Protocol]