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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...

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Conventional electron microscopy (EM) involves dehydration, fixation, and staining of biological samples, which distorts the native state of biological molecules and results in several artifacts. Also, the high-energy electron beam damages the sample and makes it difficult to obtain high-resolution images. These issues can be addressed using cryo-EM, which uses frozen samples and gentler electron beams. The technique was developed by Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank, and Richard Henderson, for...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Cryosectioning of Contiguous Regions of a Single Mouse Skeletal Muscle for Gene Expression and Histological Analyses

Cryosectioning of Contiguous Regions of a Single Mouse Skeletal Muscle for Gene Expression and Histological Analyses

Published on: December 12, 2016

Cryosectioning tissues.

Andrew H Fischer, Kenneth A Jacobson, Jack Rose

|March 2, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Cryosections offer rapid cell visualization and superior antigen preservation for microscopy. This method avoids dehydration, enabling same-day sectioning, labeling, and observation with minimal morphological damage.

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Last Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Cryosectioning of Contiguous Regions of a Single Mouse Skeletal Muscle for Gene Expression and Histological Analyses

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Published on: December 12, 2016

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Published on: September 14, 2016

Area of Science:

Cell Biology
Microscopy Techniques

Background:

Cryosections are prepared before fixation, offering rapid visualization of cellular fine details.
While physically less stable than other methods, cryosections excel in preserving antigenicity for microscopy.
The cryosectioning process avoids dehydration, allowing for same-day sectioning, labeling, and observation.

Purpose of the Study:

To present a protocol for cryosectioning.
To highlight the advantages of cryosectioning for antigen detection and cellular imaging.

Main Methods:

Rapid freezing of samples (cells, small tissues) using isopentane or liquid nitrogen.
Optional embedding in optimal cutting temperature (OCT) compound for small samples.
Minimizing ice crystal formation and morphological damage through quick freezing.

Main Results:

Cryosections provide superior antigen preservation compared to other embedding methods.
The protocol facilitates efficient sample preparation for various downstream applications.
Minimal morphological damage is achieved through rapid freezing techniques.

Conclusions:

Cryosectioning is an effective method for preserving antigenicity and visualizing cellular structures.
The presented protocol enables rapid, high-quality cryosection preparation for microscopy and other analyses.
This technique is valuable for immunochemistry, enzymatic detection, and in situ hybridization.