Microwave-accelerated fixation and lacZ activity staining of testicular cells in transgenic mice

Microwave energy has been used in conjunction with glutaraldehyde to rapidly fix testicular samples of transgenic mice (whole tubules, individual cells, and cryosections) as a preparation for histochemical bacterial beta-galactosidase activity staining. The results demonstrate that the microwave-enhanced aldehyde fixation step is a convenient and simple adaptation for routine analyses, with almost no artifactual consequences or gross distortions in morphology at the microscopic level. The entire procedure (from sacrificing the animal to microscopic observation of the blue spermatogenic cells) can be completed in 1 h.