Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Fixation and Sectioning

Fixation and Sectioning

Two basic types of preparation are used to visualize specimens with a light microscope: wet mounts and fixed specimens.
The simplest type of preparation is the wet mount, in which the specimen is placed in a drop of liquid on the slide. A liquid specimen can be directly deposited on the slide using a dropper. Solid specimens, such as skin scraping, can be placed on the slide before adding a drop of liquid to prepare the wet mount. Sometimes the liquid is simply water, but stains are often added...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Labeling Golgi with fluorescent ceramides.

Cold Spring Harbor protocols·2012

Same author

Labeling mitochondria with JC-1.

Cold Spring Harbor protocols·2011

Same author

Labeling mitochondria with MitoTracker dyes.

Cold Spring Harbor protocols·2011

Same author

Labeling mitochondria with TMRM or TMRE.

Cold Spring Harbor protocols·2011

Same author

Labeling mitochondria with rhodamine 123.

Cold Spring Harbor protocols·2011

Same author

Fluorescent labeling of membrane lipid rafts.

Cold Spring Harbor protocols·2011

Same journal

High-Throughput Microbial Assay for Amino Acid Measurement in Ground Maize Seed Samples Utilizing Auxotrophic <i>E. coli</i>.

Cold Spring Harbor protocols·2025

Same journal

Grain Quality in Maize.

Cold Spring Harbor protocols·2025

Same journal

High-Throughput Assay for Measuring Phytate and Available Phosphorus in Ground Maize Seed Samples.

Cold Spring Harbor protocols·2025

Same journal

Functional Genomic Analysis of Transposon Insertion Mutant Maize Plants from the UniformMu National Public Resource.

Cold Spring Harbor protocols·2025

Same journal

The UniformMu National Public Resource: Transposon<i>-</i>Induced Mutant Seeds for Functional Genomics Studies in Maize.

Cold Spring Harbor protocols·2025

Same journal

Insights from the Study of B<i>-</i>Cell Epitopes of a Microbial Pathogen by Phage Display.

Cold Spring Harbor protocols·2025

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Three-dimensional Imaging of Bacterial Cells for Accurate Cellular Representations and Precise Protein Localization

Three-dimensional Imaging of Bacterial Cells for Accurate Cellular Representations and Precise Protein Localization

Published on: October 29, 2019

Mounting live cells onto microscope slides.

Cold Spring Harbor Protocols

|January 6, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This protocol details a method for mounting cells on coverslips for microscopy. It covers labeling techniques for both live and fixed cell imaging, ensuring optimal viewing conditions.

More Related Videos

C. elegans Gonad Dissection and Freeze Crack for Immunofluorescence and DAPI Staining

C. elegans Gonad Dissection and Freeze Crack for Immunofluorescence and DAPI Staining

Published on: September 16, 2022

Paraffin Embedding and Thin Sectioning of Microbial Colony Biofilms for Microscopic Analysis

Paraffin Embedding and Thin Sectioning of Microbial Colony Biofilms for Microscopic Analysis

Published on: March 23, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Three-dimensional Imaging of Bacterial Cells for Accurate Cellular Representations and Precise Protein Localization

Three-dimensional Imaging of Bacterial Cells for Accurate Cellular Representations and Precise Protein Localization

Published on: October 29, 2019

C. elegans Gonad Dissection and Freeze Crack for Immunofluorescence and DAPI Staining

C. elegans Gonad Dissection and Freeze Crack for Immunofluorescence and DAPI Staining

Published on: September 16, 2022

Paraffin Embedding and Thin Sectioning of Microbial Colony Biofilms for Microscopic Analysis

Paraffin Embedding and Thin Sectioning of Microbial Colony Biofilms for Microscopic Analysis

Published on: March 23, 2018

Area of Science:

Cell biology
Microscopy techniques

Background:

Cell culture and sample preparation are fundamental to biological research.
Microscopy requires proper mounting techniques for effective visualization.

Purpose of the Study:

To provide a detailed protocol for mounting cells on coverslips.
To enable both short-term live-cell imaging and long-term fixed-cell observation.
To guide researchers in preparing samples for microscopy.

Main Methods:

Cells are cultured on cleaned coverslips in appropriate media.
Labeling procedures are performed while coverslips are in culture dishes.
Coverslips are subsequently mounted onto microscope slides.

Main Results:

The protocol facilitates the preparation of cell samples for microscopic examination.
It allows for versatile imaging of both live and fixed cellular structures.
Successful mounting ensures sample integrity for observation.

Conclusions:

This protocol offers a reliable method for preparing cell samples for microscopy.
It supports diverse imaging applications, from live cell dynamics to fixed cell analysis.
Proper sample mounting is crucial for obtaining high-quality microscopy data.