Pre-embedding immunoelectron microscopy of chemically fixed mammalian tissue culture cells

Immunoelectron microscopy is one of the best methods for detecting and localizing protein molecules in cells and tissues. Gold particles of 1.4 nm in diameter (Nanogold) conjugated with Fab' fragments easily penetrate into the cell interior and are used for pre-embedding immunoelectron microscopy. To obtain a contrast for the gold label, silver enhancement of the gold particles is essential. By changing the intensity of the silver enhancement, the size of the granules can be controlled. In this chapter, we described the use of Nanogold for pre-embedding immunoelectron microscopy of paraformaldehyde-fixed cultured cells.