Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 27, 2026
Dissection of Single Skeletal Muscle Fibers for Immunofluorescent and Morphometric Analyses of Whole-Mount Neuromuscular Junctions
Published on: August 14, 2021
Fix the problem - A practical guide to whole-mount immunohistochemistry of teased nerve fibres
Simone Gross1, Ninja Kolb1, Marco Rosati1
1Section of Clinical & Comparative Neuropathology, Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Centre for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany.
Background:
Immunohistochemical staining of entire nerve fibres allows for studying the molecular composition of functional fibre subunits and may add to the diagnostic value of nerve fibre teasing.
New Method:
In this study, we established a sealed-slide method for reproducible immunostaining of deep axoplasmic proteins in permanently straightened nerve fibres.
Results:
Immunostaining of teased nerve fibres very much is facilitated by tip-fixation with biocompatible glass adhesives. Antibody penetration in fresh nerves can be achieved by thermic and chemical permeabilisation while enzymatic digestion allows for sufficient permeability after aldehyde fixation.
Comparison With Existing Methods:
The methods recommended herein are easy to perform and represent a reliable and reproducible way to whole mount immunostaining.
Conclusions:
Sealed-slide immunostaining of tip-fixed and permeabilised nerve biopsies will help to validate neurophysiological abnormalities and to screen for target molecules and predictive markers of peripheral nerve disorders such as in inherited neuropathies and Guillain-Barré syndrome.
