microscope Protocols

Category: Primary Cell Isolation and Culture Protocols: Laser Capture Microdissection Protocols: Tissue Preparation for LCM Protocols

LCM isolates specific cells or tissues from samples mounted on microscope slides. The samples are viewed through a thermoplastic film that is attached to a microcentrifuge tube lid. Localized heat, caused by the application of a laser pulse, fuses the membrane to the cells of interest, which can then be harvested for further analysis. RNA and proteins can be purified from the isolated cells, allowing detailed analysis of gene expression. This protocol is divided into three stages. - [Read (LCM): Preparation and Sectioning of Frozen Tissue Blocks and Purification of RNA from Isolated Cel]

Category: Drosophila Protocols

Enzyme-linked reagents give excellent sensitivity and use a simple light microscope for detection. A range of enzymes is available, but for staining in situ, horseradish peroxidase will suit most needs. Diaminobenzidine (DAB) is one of the most sensitive substrates for horseradish peroxidase. It yields an intense brown product that is insoluble in both water and alcohol. It can be made more sensitive by adding metal salts such as cobalt or nickel to the substrate solution. - [Read Antibody Addition to Drosophila Specimens and Detection Using Enzyme-Linked Reagents Protocol]

Category: Drosophila Protocols

Protocol for antibody addition to Drosophila specimens and detection using fluorochrome-linked reagents. Fluorochrome-linked reagents should be used when high resolution is needed or if two antigens need to be localized simultaneously. Because of the thickness of fly specimens, detection requires access to a confocal microscope. - [Read Antibody Addition to Drosophila Specimens and Detection Using Fluorochrome-Linked Reagents Protocol]

Category: Molecular Imaging: Confocal Microscopy Protocols and Information

Confocal Microscopy and Protocols. Why use a confocal microscope? Fluorescence, Reflectance or Transmission? Which confocal microscope should you use? Confocal or 2-photon microscopy? Sample Preparation for confocal microscopy, Fixation, Immunolabeling, - [Read Confocal Microscopy and Protocols]

Category: Neuroscience Protocols: Neuronal Stains Protocols: Stains for Senile Plaques Protocols

Protocol to demonstrate amyloid deposits in tissue sections. When stained with the Congo Red Stain the amyloid, with the aide of polarizing lenses, will birefringe an apple green color.  Under the microscope. - [Read Congo Red Putcher's Modification Amyloid Protocol]

Category: Microscopy Protocols: Optical Microscopy Protocols

When imaging specimens in the optical microscope, differences in intensity and/or color create image contrast, which allows individual features and details of the specimen to become visible. Contrast is defined as the difference in light intensity between the image and the adjacent background relative to the overall background intensity. In general, a minimum contrast value of 0.02 (2 percent) is needed by the human eye to distinguish differences between the image and its background. - [Read Contrast in Optical Microscopy]

Category: Microscopy Protocols: Live-Cell Imaging Protocols

Specimen chambers have had many designs published over the years describing systems that offer excellent optical properties while allowing specimens to be maintained for varying amounts of time. Ranging in complexity from the simple preparation of a sealed coverslip on a microscope slide to sophisticated perfusion chambers that enable tight control of virtually all environmental variables culture chambers are designed to to allow living specimens to be observed with minimal invasion at high res. - [Read Culture Chambers for Live-Cell Imaging]

Category: Molecular Imaging: Electron Microscopy Protocols

Generic processing protocol � PLT/ LR Gold � SEM Generic Processing protocol � SEM Microwave tissue processing protocol � Uranyl acetate and Lead citrate ...Electron Microscope Lab protocols at UC Berkeley - [Read Electron Microscope Lab protocols]

Category: Molecular Imaging: Electron Microscopy Protocols

Electron Microscopy Protocols ... Chemical Fixation Protocol for Suspension-Cultured Plant Cells for TEM; Standard Glutaraldehyde Fixation for TEM of Animal ...Electron Microscopy Protocols. UBC BioImaging Facility - Bio-Rad Radiance Plus Confocal Microscope - Starting Up, page 1 - [Read Electron Microscopy Protocols]

Category: Microscopy Protocols: Electron Microscopy Protocols

The scanning transmission electron microscope precision and reproducibility of mass measurements are comparable with those of the analytical ultracentrifuge, the possibility of determining the mass not only of entire supramolecular assemblies but also of their distinct components has opened exciting new avenues which have occasionally been entered but are not yet fully explored. Includes: Principle and application (The GroEL:GroES complex). - [Read Imaging and Measuring Biomolecules & Their Assemblies by Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy]

Category: Microscopy Protocols: Electron Microscopy Protocols

In recent years, the increased sensitivity of electron detectors and the availability of low-vacuum or variable-pressure systems have allowed imaging of fresh tissue samples without the need for fixation, drying, and coating. This obviously saves a lot of time, although the image quality may not be as good as that obtained from fixed samples. However, for most applications that tend to be at a relatively low magnification, the quality can be as good as that obtained from fixed samples. - [Read Imaging of Fresh Arabidopsis Tissues in the Scanning Electron Microscope]

Category: Plant Biology Protocols

In recent years, the increased sensitivity of electron detectors and the availability of low-vacuum or variable-pressure systems have allowed imaging of fresh tissue samples without the need for fixation, drying, and coating. This obviously saves a lot of time, although the image quality may not be as good as that obtained from fixed samples. However, for most applications that tend to be at a relatively low magnification, the quality can be as good as that obtained from fixed samples. - [Read Imaging of Fresh Arabidopsis Tissues in the Scanning Electron Microscope Protocol]

Category: Microscopy Protocols: Live-Cell Imaging Protocols

Using confocal laser-scanning microscope & GFP fusion proteins in time-lapse imaging to visualize the behavior of organelles and to track membrane-bound transport intermediates that bud off from organelles. Practical issues related to construction & expression of GFP fusion proteins are discussed. Essential for optimizing the brightness and expression levels of GFP fusion proteins so that intracellular membrane-bound structures containing these fusion proteins can be readily visualized. - [Read Imaging of Organelle Membrane Systems and Membrane Traffic in Living Cells]

Category: Microscopy Protocols

The atomic force microscope (AFM) is one of the most powerful tools for determining the surface topography of native biomolecules at subnanometer resolution. The AFM can also provide insight into the binding properties of biological systems. In order to determine the specific interaction between two kinds of molecules (e.g., avidin and biotin). Includes information on principle of AFM and application of AFM. - [Read Imaging, Measuring and Manipulating Native Biomolecular Systems with the Atomic Force Microscope]

Category: Immunohistochemistry Protocols

Describes two methods for using the immunoperoxidase reaction to localize antigens at the electron microscope level; one for adherent cultured cells and one for tissue sections. The reaction conditions are first optimized at the light microscope level and then adapted for EM level observation. These methods allow for reliable detection of antigens at the cell surface, within the cell, and especially in membrane bounded organelles. - [Read Immunoperoxidase Methods for Localization of Antigens in Cultured Cells and Tissues]

Category: Microscopy Protocols: Live-Cell Imaging Protocols

Live-cell imaging techniques provide critical insight into the fundamental nature of cellular & tissue function, especially due to the rapid advances that are currently being witnessed in fluorescent protein & synthetic fluorophore technology. Because of these advances, live-cell imaging has become a requisite analytical tool in most cell biology labs. Includes: Maintaining Live Cells on the Microscope Stage; Live-Cell Imaging Culture Chambers; Optical System and Detector Requirements etc. - [Read Introduction to Live-Cell Imaging Techniques]

Category: Primary Cell Isolation and Culture Protocols: Laser Capture Microdissection Protocols

LCM utilizes an infrared laser integrated into a standard microscope. A transparent cap is attached to a thermoplastic transparent membrane which lies directly on the surface of a routinely prepared tissue section on a glass slide. The investigator examines the tissue section microscopically and activates the laser when the desired cells underlie the target. This in turn activates the membrane with subsequent binding and procurement of the cells of interest. - [Read Laser Capture Microdissection (LCM)]

Category: Cell Biology and Cell Culture: Apoptosis Protocols: Apoptosis Analysis

Leukostat Staining of Cytospin Preparations to Detect Apoptosis. Shailaja Kasibhatla et al. Leukostat staining is used to visualize nuclear changes and apoptotic body formation that are characteristic of apoptosis. Cells are viewed under a light microscope and counted to quantify apoptosis. This protocol can be used both for cells that grow in suspension and for adherent cells. - [Read Leukostat Staining of Cytospin Preparations to Detect Apoptosis]

Category: Molecular Imaging: Light Microscopy

Types of light microscopy, Bright Field Microscopy, Using a bright field microscope, mounting on slides, adjusting the microscope, Care of the microscope, When to use bright field microscopy. David R. Caprette. Rice University. - [Read Light Microscopy]

Category: Microscopy Protocols: Confocal Microscopy Protocols

Protocol describes the acquisition and processing of confocal fluorescent and bright field images of live cells, expressing cyan fluorescent protein(CFP) and/or yellow fluorescent protein (YFP), with a spinning disk confocal head on a Zeiss Axiovert 200 M microscope. This procedure is used to help determine if N- or Cterminal tagging of signaling molecules alters the steady state localization pattern of the signaling protein in question. - [Read Live Cell Spinning Disk Confocal Fluore Imaging of Cells- Colocalization of Fluorescent Protein Tags]

Category: Microscopy Protocols: Confocal Microscopy Protocols

Protocol describes the acquisition and processing of confocal fluorescent and bright field images of live cells expressing yellow fluorescent protein (YFP), with a spinning disk confocal head on a Zeiss Axiovert 200 M microscope when three planes along the z-axis of the cell are acquired. Protocol includes: Description of Microscope and Imaging Setup; Description of Acquisition Parameters; Image Processing. - [Read Live Cell Spinning Disk Confocal Fluorescence Imaging of Cells- YFP & Bright Field—Three Z Axis]

Category: Microscopy Protocols: Confocal Microscopy Protocols

Protocol describes the acquisition and processing of confocal fluorescent and bright field images of live cells expressing yellow fluorescent protein (YFP), with a spinning disk confocal head on a Zeiss Axiovert 200 M microscope. Protocol includes: Description of Microscope and Imaging Setup; Description of Acquisition Parameters; Image Processing. - [Read Live Cell Spinning Disk Confocal Fluorescence Imaging of Cells- YFP and Bright Field Images]

Category: Microscopy Protocols: Confocal Microscopy Protocols

Protocol describes the acquisition and processing of confocal fluorescent images of live cells expressing yellow fluorescent protein (YFP), with a spinning disk confocal head on a Zeiss Axiovert 200 M microscope. Protocol includes: Description of Microscope and Imaging Setup; Description of Acquisition Parameters; Movie Processing. - [Read Live Cell Spinning Disk Confocal Fluorescence Imaging of Cells- YFP Time Series for Markers]

Category: C. elegans Protocols

To image early cleavages and chromatin dynamics, it is convenient to use histone H2B fused to GFP or lamin::GFP. Time-lapse movies can be obtained using conventional confocal microscope systems and their included software. Early embryos dissected from transgenic hermaphrodites are placed with egg salts on agar pads. - [Read Live Imaging of Caenorhabditis elegans: Examples]

Category: Microscopy Protocols: Confocal Microscopy Protocols

Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) is a relatively new light microscopical imaging technique which has found wide applications in the biological sciences. The primary value of the CLSM to the biologist is its ability to produce optical sections through a 3-D specimen-e.g., an entire cell or a piece of tissue - that, to a good approximation, contain information from only one focal plane. Article includes principle and applications of confocal laser scanning microscope. - [Read Looking Inside Cells and Tissues by Optical Sectioning with a Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope]