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Updated: Sep 6, 2025

Large-scale Three-dimensional Imaging of Cellular Organization in the Mouse Neocortex
Published on: September 5, 2018
Expansion microscopy of mouse brain organotypic slice cultures to study protein distribution
Diane Bissen1, Maximilian Ken Kracht2, Franziska Foss2
1Institute of Cell Biology and Neuroscience and Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences (BMLS), University of Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 15, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Max von Laue Str. 4, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Abstract:
Assessing protein distribution with super-resolution in tissue is often complicated and restrictive. Here, we describe a protocol for immunostaining and expansion microscopy imaging of mouse brain organotypic slice cultures. We detail an Imaris analysis workflow to analyze the surface vs intracellular distribution of AMPA receptors at super-resolution during homeostatic plasticity. We have optimized the protocol for brain organotypic slice culture and tested in acute brain slices. This protocol is suitable to study protein distribution under multiple plasticity paradigms. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Bissen et al. (2021).

