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Updated: Aug 20, 2026

Flash-and-Freeze: A Novel Technique to Capture Membrane Dynamics with Electron Microscopy
Published on: May 1, 2017
Protocol for flash-freezing, pooling, and preparing single nuclei suspensions from amniote inner-ear sensory
Jimena Perez Lloret1, Valeria Carolina Castagna1, Marcela Lipovsek1
1Ear Institute, University College London, 332 Gray's Inn Road, London WC1X 8EE, UK.
Abstract:
The inner-ear sensory epithelia are characteristically difficult to dissociate into healthy single-cell suspensions, with adult tissue presenting the most challenges. Recent advances in RNA sequencing have allowed for transcriptomic profiling of single nuclei, instead of single cells, offering a valuable alternative for processing sensitive tissue for single-cell genomics. Here, we provide a detailed protocol for flash-freezing, pooling, and preparing single nuclei suspensions from mouse and chicken inner-ear sensory epithelia, with a focus on optimization and quality control.

