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Thin Sectioning of Slice Preparations for Immunohistochemistry
Published on: April 28, 2007
Thin sectioning of slice preparations for immunohistochemistry
Jae-Joon Park1, Miles G Cunningham
1Department of Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Severance Hospital.
Journal of Visualized Experiments : Jove
|November 4, 2008
Summary
Researchers developed a simple device to create thin cryostat tissue sections from brain slices. This method improves handling for subsequent microscopic analysis and various staining techniques.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Histology
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Studying small tissue samples, like brain slices, for neuroscience research presents handling challenges.
- Microscopic analysis of these tissues, often used in electrophysiology, requires precise sectioning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a novel, simple device for preparing thin cryostat sections of tissue slices.
- To facilitate reproducible handling and positioning of tissue for subsequent analyses.
Main Methods:
- A device was constructed using a cylinder and a sliding ring to create a freezing stage for tissue slices.
- Tissue slices were immersed in freezing compound (OCT), frozen with dry ice, and sectioned into 5-10 micron cryostat sections.
- Thin sections were thaw-mounted onto slides for further studies.
Main Results:
- The method successfully produced thin cryostat sections (5-10 microns) from 400-micron Vibratome brain slices.
- The prepared sections were suitable for various downstream applications, including staining, in situ hybridization, and immunohistochemistry.
Conclusions:
- The developed device offers a controlled and reproducible method for cryostat sectioning of brain tissue slices.
- This technique enhances the ability to perform detailed cytoarchitectural analysis and molecular studies on tissue samples post-electrophysiology.
