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Updated: Jun 4, 2026
09:38
Hybrid-Cut: An Improved Sectioning Method for Recalcitrant Plant Tissue Samples
Published on: November 23, 2016
Paraffin embedding tissue samples for sectioning
CSH Protocols
|March 2, 2011
Abstract:
INTRODUCTIONThis protocol describes a method for embedding tissues in paraffin blocks for sectioning. Paraffin sections require extensive fixation and processing steps, but provide superior morphology compared with other sectioning methods.
Related Concept Videos
01:03Fixation 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...
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...
01:20Preparation of Samples for Electron Microscopy
To be visualized by an electron microscope, either transmission or scanning, biological samples need to be fixed (stabilized) so the electron beam does not destroy them and dried thoroughly (desiccated/dehydrated) so the vacuum does not affect them. Fixation needs to be done as quickly as possible because the sample properties will start changing as soon as it is removed from its natural environment. For example, in a tissue sample, the oxygen levels begin decreasing, causing an altered...