GFP tissue preparation for confocal microscopy

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Young Jik Kwon Young Jik Kwon
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GFP tissue preparation for confocal microscopy

All,

We are trying to take confocal micrographs of at tumor tissues that express GFP. What would be the sample preparation procedures? We tried cryosectioned samples but the cell morphology seems weird. We already know paraformaldehyde fixation kills GFP fluorescence. Any expert's advice?

Best,

Young


Cameron Nowell Cameron Nowell
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Re: GFP tissue preparation for confocal microscopy

Hi Young,

 

PFA fixation should not totally kill your GFP, it may weaken it a bit but not totally wipe it out. If you find you have lost all your fluorescence after fixation you can always go in with an anti-GFP antibody tagged with Alexa488 or similar and get the signal back.

 

I have fixed numerous tissues and cells in 4% PFA and seen very little degradation of the signal. For more aggressive staining (like BrdU incorporation that requires acid fixation) the signal is gone, this is when the anti-GFP antibody is useful.

 

 

Cheers

 

Cam

 

 

Cameron J. Nowell
Microscopy Manager
Centre for Advanced Microscopy
Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research
PO Box 2008
Royal Melbourne Hospital
Victoria, 3050
AUSTRALIA

Office: +61 3 9341 3155
Mobile: +61422882700
Fax: +61 3 9341 3104

Facility Website

 

 

 

From: Confocal Microscopy List [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Young Jik Kwon
Sent: Thursday, 23 April 2009 12:34 PM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: GFP tissue preparation for confocal microscopy

 

All,

We are trying to take confocal micrographs of at tumor tissues that express GFP. What would be the sample preparation procedures? We tried cryosectioned samples but the cell morphology seems weird. We already know paraformaldehyde fixation kills GFP fluorescence. Any expert's advice?

Best,

Young

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Alice Rodriguez Diaz Alice Rodriguez Diaz
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Re: GFP tissue preparation for confocal microscopy

In reply to this post by Young Jik Kwon
Dear Young,

I don't think that paraformaldehyde should be the problem. Are you  
using methanol? if so, methanol does kill GFP. Depending on your sample,
consider switching to ethanol and related fixation protocols.

Best,
Alice

Dr Alice Rodriguez-Diaz
*Center for Biomedical Engineering *
*University of Texas Medical Branch *
*301 University Blvd. Rt. 1156, L17680*

*Research Support Building # 21*
*Galveston, Texas 77555-1156*
*Center Phone:  409.772.8363  **Fax:  409.772.0751 *





Young Jik Kwon wrote:

> All,
>
> We are trying to take confocal micrographs of at tumor tissues that
> express GFP. What would be the sample preparation procedures? We tried
> cryosectioned samples but the cell morphology seems weird. We already
> know paraformaldehyde fixation kills GFP fluorescence. Any expert's
> advice?
>
> Best,
>
> Young
>
>
Young Jik Kwon Young Jik Kwon
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Re: GFP tissue preparation for confocal microscopy

In reply to this post by Cameron Nowell
Hi Cam,

Thanks for the information. We are trying to quantify gene expression by fluorescence intensity. Do you think PFA would work for such work?

Best,


Young

 

On Wed, Apr 22, 2009 at 8:01 PM, Cameron Nowell <[hidden email]> wrote:

Hi Young,

 

PFA fixation should not totally kill your GFP, it may weaken it a bit but not totally wipe it out. If you find you have lost all your fluorescence after fixation you can always go in with an anti-GFP antibody tagged with Alexa488 or similar and get the signal back.

 

I have fixed numerous tissues and cells in 4% PFA and seen very little degradation of the signal. For more aggressive staining (like BrdU incorporation that requires acid fixation) the signal is gone, this is when the anti-GFP antibody is useful.

 

 

Cheers

 

Cam

 

 

Cameron J. Nowell
Microscopy Manager
Centre for Advanced Microscopy
Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research
PO Box 2008
Royal Melbourne Hospital
Victoria, 3050
AUSTRALIA

Office: +61 3 9341 3155
Mobile: +61422882700
Fax: +61 3 9341 3104

Facility Website

 

 

 

From: Confocal Microscopy List [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Young Jik Kwon
Sent: Thursday, 23 April 2009 12:34 PM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: GFP tissue preparation for confocal microscopy

 

All,

We are trying to take confocal micrographs of at tumor tissues that express GFP. What would be the sample preparation procedures? We tried cryosectioned samples but the cell morphology seems weird. We already know paraformaldehyde fixation kills GFP fluorescence. Any expert's advice?

Best,

Young

No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 8.5.287 / Virus Database: 270.12.2/2072 - Release Date: 04/22/09 17:25:00


This communication is intended only for the named recipient and may contain information that is confidential, legally privileged or subject to copyright; the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Ltd does not waiver any rights if you have received this communication in error.
The views expressed in this communication are those of the sender and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Ltd.


Cameron Nowell Cameron Nowell
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Re: GFP tissue preparation for confocal microscopy

Hi Young,

 

Quantifying fluorescence intensity is always difficult, if not impossible. You will be able to measure relative shifts in intensity between samples providing they are all treated the same, stained the same and captured using the same settings (eg. Exposure time or gain setting etc.).

 

PFA should be fine for all that. My recommendation is to purchase PFA that is supplied in ampoules. We use a 16% PFA that is stored in an ampoule under nitrogen gas. This is because PFA will oxidise to methanol fairly quickly. This could be why you are seeing GFP loss with your fixation, your fixative maybe all methanol by now.

 

 

Cheers

 


Cam

 

 

Cameron J. Nowell
Microscopy Manager
Centre for Advanced Microscopy
Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research
PO Box 2008
Royal Melbourne Hospital
Victoria, 3050
AUSTRALIA

Office: +61 3 9341 3155
Mobile: +61422882700
Fax: +61 3 9341 3104

Facility Website

 

 

 

From: Confocal Microscopy List [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Young Jik Kwon
Sent: Thursday, 23 April 2009 1:20 PM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: GFP tissue preparation for confocal microscopy

 

Hi Cam,

Thanks for the information. We are trying to quantify gene expression by fluorescence intensity. Do you think PFA would work for such work?

Best,


Young

 

On Wed, Apr 22, 2009 at 8:01 PM, Cameron Nowell <[hidden email]> wrote:

Hi Young,

 

PFA fixation should not totally kill your GFP, it may weaken it a bit but not totally wipe it out. If you find you have lost all your fluorescence after fixation you can always go in with an anti-GFP antibody tagged with Alexa488 or similar and get the signal back.

 

I have fixed numerous tissues and cells in 4% PFA and seen very little degradation of the signal. For more aggressive staining (like BrdU incorporation that requires acid fixation) the signal is gone, this is when the anti-GFP antibody is useful.

 

 

Cheers

 

Cam

 

 

Cameron J. Nowell
Microscopy Manager
Centre for Advanced Microscopy
Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research
PO Box 2008
Royal Melbourne Hospital
Victoria, 3050
AUSTRALIA

Office: +61 3 9341 3155
Mobile: +61422882700
Fax: +61 3 9341 3104

Facility Website

 

 

 

From: Confocal Microscopy List [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Young Jik Kwon
Sent: Thursday, 23 April 2009 12:34 PM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: GFP tissue preparation for confocal microscopy

 

All,

We are trying to take confocal micrographs of at tumor tissues that express GFP. What would be the sample preparation procedures? We tried cryosectioned samples but the cell morphology seems weird. We already know paraformaldehyde fixation kills GFP fluorescence. Any expert's advice?

Best,

Young

No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 8.5.287 / Virus Database: 270.12.2/2072 - Release Date: 04/22/09 17:25:00


This communication is intended only for the named recipient and may contain information that is confidential, legally privileged or subject to copyright; the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Ltd does not waiver any rights if you have received this communication in error.
The views expressed in this communication are those of the sender and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Ltd.

 

No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 8.5.287 / Virus Database: 270.12.2/2072 - Release Date: 04/22/09 17:25:00


This communication is intended only for the named recipient and may contain information that is confidential, legally privileged or subject to copyright; the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Ltd does not waiver any rights if you have received this communication in error.
The views expressed in this communication are those of the sender and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Ltd.

RICHARD BURRY RICHARD BURRY
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Re: GFP tissue preparation for confocal microscopy

In reply to this post by Young Jik Kwon
Young
 
Cryostat sections should appear like the live tissue.  If you are doing overnight infiltration with 20% sucrose in buffer and rapid freezing with isopentane then I have no idea what the problem is.  Most problems with morphology in Cryostat sections of paraformaldehyde fixed tissue comes from the freezing procedure.
 
Dick

----- Original Message -----
From: Young Jik Kwon <[hidden email]>
Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:44 pm
Subject: GFP tissue preparation for confocal microscopy
To: [hidden email]

> All,

> We are trying to take confocal micrographs of at tumor tissues that express GFP. What would be the sample preparation procedures? We tried cryosectioned samples but the cell morphology seems weird. We already know paraformaldehyde fixation kills GFP fluorescence. Any expert's advice?

> Best,

> Young





> Spam
> Not spam
> Forget previous vote



Richard W. Burry, Ph.D.
Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine
Campus Microscopy and Imaging Facility, Director
The Ohio State University
Associate Editor, Journal of Histochemistry and Cytochemistry
277 Biomedical Research Tower
460 West Twelfth Avenue
Columbus, Ohio 43210
Voice 614.292.2814  Cell 614.638.3345  Fax 614.247.8849

mmodel mmodel
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Re: GFP tissue preparation for confocal microscopy

In reply to this post by Young Jik Kwon

Young - We have a (yet unpublished) method for quantifying fluorophore with a wide field, but not a confocal, microscope. You would need a pure sample of the fluorophore (in your case, may be PFA-fixed GFP) for calibration. But if fixation reduces its fluorescence to a variable degree it will not work of course. Anyway, if that’s of interest to you, please contact me directly.

 

Mike

 

Michael Model, Ph.D.

Confocal Microscopy,

Dpt Biological Sciences,

1275 University Esplanade,

Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242

tel. 330-672-2874

 

 

 

From: Confocal Microscopy List [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Young Jik Kwon
Sent: Wednesday, April 22, 2009 11:20 PM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: GFP tissue preparation for confocal microscopy

 

Hi Cam,

Thanks for the information. We are trying to quantify gene expression by fluorescence intensity. Do you think PFA would work for such work?

Best,


Young

 

On Wed, Apr 22, 2009 at 8:01 PM, Cameron Nowell <[hidden email]> wrote:

Hi Young,

 

PFA fixation should not totally kill your GFP, it may weaken it a bit but not totally wipe it out. If you find you have lost all your fluorescence after fixation you can always go in with an anti-GFP antibody tagged with Alexa488 or similar and get the signal back.

 

I have fixed numerous tissues and cells in 4% PFA and seen very little degradation of the signal. For more aggressive staining (like BrdU incorporation that requires acid fixation) the signal is gone, this is when the anti-GFP antibody is useful.

 

 

Cheers

 

Cam

 

 

Cameron J. Nowell
Microscopy Manager
Centre for Advanced Microscopy
Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research
PO Box 2008
Royal Melbourne Hospital
Victoria, 3050
AUSTRALIA

Office: +61 3 9341 3155
Mobile: +61422882700
Fax: +61 3 9341 3104

Facility Website

 

 

 

From: Confocal Microscopy List [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Young Jik Kwon
Sent: Thursday, 23 April 2009 12:34 PM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: GFP tissue preparation for confocal microscopy

 

All,

We are trying to take confocal micrographs of at tumor tissues that express GFP. What would be the sample preparation procedures? We tried cryosectioned samples but the cell morphology seems weird. We already know paraformaldehyde fixation kills GFP fluorescence. Any expert's advice?

Best,

Young

No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 8.5.287 / Virus Database: 270.12.2/2072 - Release Date: 04/22/09 17:25:00


This communication is intended only for the named recipient and may contain information that is confidential, legally privileged or subject to copyright; the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Ltd does not waiver any rights if you have received this communication in error.
The views expressed in this communication are those of the sender and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Ltd.

 

Stephen Bunnell Stephen Bunnell
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Re: GFP tissue preparation for confocal microscopy

In reply to this post by Young Jik Kwon
Re: GFP tissue preparation for confocal microscopy PFA does not kill GFP fluorescence.

BAD PFA kills GFP fluorescence.

We routinely use 1% PFA with GFP, YFP, and CFP, and have never had a problem so long as the PFA is fresh and pH’ed to between 7.0 and 7.4.

    -Steve



On 4/22/09 10:34 PM, "Young Jik Kwon" <[hidden email]> wrote:

All,

We are trying to take confocal micrographs of at tumor tissues that express GFP. What would be the sample preparation procedures? We tried cryosectioned samples but the cell morphology seems weird. We already know paraformaldehyde fixation kills GFP fluorescence. Any expert's advice?

Best,

Young





****************************************************************************
Stephen C. Bunnell, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Tufts University Medical School
Department of Pathology
Jaharis Bldg., Room 512
150 Harrison Ave.
Boston, MA 02111

Phone: (617) 636-2174
Fax:   (617) 636-2990
Email: [hidden email]

SHIPPING ADDRESS (for packages):
Tufts University Receiving
37 Tyler St.
Attn: Bunnell/Pathology/Jaharis 524
Boston, MA 02111


Eric Scarfone Eric Scarfone
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Re: GFP tissue preparation for confocal microscopy

I agree with Stephen. For all purposes, PFA should really be prepared "extemporaneously", but I find it difficult to convince student to do that these days.....
Nowadays with aliquot and freeze PFA (we use small amounts on cell cultures). Not problem with GFP so far! 

Some detection problems may be linked to the amount of expression one gets. At low level the signal will be lost in the background fluorescence (green) induced by aldehydes. In this case countestaining works well.
Another problem maybe bad or slow fixation. If your construct is cytoplasmic it will leak out of cells....

Cheers

Eric

Eric Scarfone, PhD, CNRS,
Center for Hearing and communication Research
Department of Clinical Neuroscience
Karolinska Institutet

Postal Address:
CFH, M1:02
Karolinska Hospital,
SE-171 76 Stockholm, Sweden

Work: +46 (0)8-517 79343,
Cell: +46 (0)70 888 2352
Fax: +46 (0)8-301876

email: [hidden email]
http://www.ki.se/cfh/


----- Original Message -----
From: Stephen Bunnell <[hidden email]>
Date: Thursday, April 23, 2009 5:20 pm
Subject: Re: GFP tissue preparation for confocal microscopy
To: [hidden email]


> PFA does not kill GFP fluorescence.
>
> BAD PFA kills GFP fluorescence.
>
> We routinely use 1% PFA with GFP, YFP, and CFP, and have never had
> a problem
> so long as the PFA is fresh and pH¹ed to between 7.0 and 7.4.
>
> -Steve
>
>
>
> On 4/22/09 10:34 PM, "Young Jik Kwon" <[hidden email]> wrote:

>
> > All,
> >
> > We are trying to take confocal micrographs of at tumor tissues
> that express
> > GFP. What would be the sample preparation procedures? We tried
> cryosectioned> samples but the cell morphology seems weird. We
> already know paraformaldehyde
> > fixation kills GFP fluorescence. Any expert's advice?
> >
> > Best,
> >
> > Young
> >
> >
> >
>
>
> ****************************************************************************
> Stephen C. Bunnell, Ph.D.
> Assistant Professor
> Tufts University Medical School
> Department of Pathology
> Jaharis Bldg., Room 512
> 150 Harrison Ave.
> Boston, MA 02111
>
> Phone: (617) 636-2174
> Fax: (617) 636-2990
> Email: [hidden email]

>
> SHIPPING ADDRESS (for packages):
> Tufts University Receiving
> 37 Tyler St.
> Attn: Bunnell/Pathology/Jaharis 524
> Boston, MA 02111
>
>
>
>

Caroline Bass Caroline Bass
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Re: GFP tissue preparation for confocal microscopy

In reply to this post by Stephen Bunnell
Re: GFP tissue preparation for confocal microscopy I concur. I regularly perfuse rats and mice with formaldehyde, and I don’t have any problem getting a signal (viral vector delivered EGFP in brain, spleen, liver, muscle, etc.). I have seen severe loss with any sort of dehydration or methanol fixation in fresh tissue.

Can someone recommend a good PFA? (Product number and company please!) The ampules sound interesting...


On 4/23/09 11:19 AM, "Stephen Bunnell" <Stephen.Bunnell@...> wrote:

PFA does not kill GFP fluorescence.

BAD PFA kills GFP fluorescence.

We routinely use 1% PFA with GFP, YFP, and CFP, and have never had a problem so long as the PFA is fresh and pH’ed to between 7.0 and 7.4.

    -Steve



On 4/22/09 10:34 PM, "Young Jik Kwon" <kwonyj@...> wrote:

All,

We are trying to take confocal micrographs of at tumor tissues that express GFP. What would be the sample preparation procedures? We tried cryosectioned samples but the cell morphology seems weird. We already know paraformaldehyde fixation kills GFP fluorescence. Any expert's advice?

Best,

Young





****************************************************************************
Stephen C. Bunnell, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Tufts University Medical School
Department of Pathology
Jaharis Bldg., Room 512
150 Harrison Ave.
Boston, MA 02111

Phone: (617) 636-2174
Fax:   (617) 636-2990
Email: stephen.bunnell@...

SHIPPING ADDRESS (for packages):
Tufts University Receiving
37 Tyler St.
Attn: Bunnell/Pathology/Jaharis 524
Boston, MA 02111



anh2006 anh2006
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Re: GFP tissue preparation for confocal microscopy

Re: GFP tissue preparation for confocal microscopy
Dear Caroline,

What do you mean by dehydration precisely? Do you dry your slides after sectioning?

Here is our ampoules info:
(1) http://www.alfa.com, Alfa Aesar, Item #43368
(2) http://www.emsdiasum.com, Electron Microscopy Sciences, Item # 15710

Thanks,
Andrea


At 12:05 PM -0400 4/23/09, Caroline Bass wrote:
I concur. I regularly perfuse rats and mice with formaldehyde, and I don't have any problem getting a signal (viral vector delivered EGFP in brain, spleen, liver, muscle, etc.). I have seen severe loss with any sort of dehydration or methanol fixation in fresh tissue.
Can someone recommend a good PFA? (Product number and company please!) The ampules sound interesting...


-- 
Caroline Bass Caroline Bass
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Re: GFP tissue preparation for confocal microscopy

Re: GFP tissue preparation for confocal microscopy I’ve looked at fresh EGFP tissue “smears” under a fluorescent microscope, basically thin slices of fresh tissue coverslipped in buffer and smushed down. It was a really quick and dirty way to see what was happening before I processed a bunch of fixed tissues. It was incredible how much fluorescence is lost as the buffer dried out under the coverslip. I heard that dehydrating frozen sections before fixation was not good for GFP. By the time I got through all of my smushes, the first ones I looked at were losing a great deal of signal.

I know this isn’t a very scientifically valid way of evaluating dehydration, but it seemed like a good explanation.



On 4/23/09 12:15 PM, "Andrea Hooper" <anh2006@...> wrote:

Dear Caroline,

What do you mean by dehydration precisely? Do you dry your slides after sectioning?

Here is our ampoules info:
(1) http://www.alfa.com, Alfa Aesar, Item #43368
(2) http://www.emsdiasum.com, Electron Microscopy Sciences, Item # 15710

Thanks,
Andrea


At 12:05 PM -0400 4/23/09, Caroline Bass wrote:
I concur. I regularly perfuse rats and mice with formaldehyde, and I don't have any problem getting a signal (viral vector delivered EGFP in brain, spleen, liver, muscle, etc.). I have seen severe loss with any sort of dehydration or methanol fixation in fresh tissue.
Can someone recommend a good PFA? (Product number and company please!) The ampules sound interesting...

Knecht, David Knecht, David
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Re: GFP tissue preparation for confocal microscopy

In reply to this post by anh2006
 I have always used the comparable Polysciences ampules of 16% formaldehyde.  I don't understand the Alfa product. My understanding was that paraformaldehyde was a solid, and dissolving it led to it being converted to formaldehyde.  They are selling it as 16% paraformaldehyde.    Dave

On Apr 23, 2009, at 12:15 PM, Andrea Hooper wrote:

Dear Caroline,

What do you mean by dehydration precisely? Do you dry your slides after sectioning?

Here is our ampoules info:
(1) http://www.alfa.com, Alfa Aesar, Item #43368
(2) http://www.emsdiasum.com, Electron Microscopy Sciences, Item # 15710

Thanks,
Andrea


At 12:05 PM -0400 4/23/09, Caroline Bass wrote:
I concur. I regularly perfuse rats and mice with formaldehyde, and I don't have any problem getting a signal (viral vector delivered EGFP in brain, spleen, liver, muscle, etc.). I have seen severe loss with any sort of dehydration or methanol fixation in fresh tissue.
Can someone recommend a good PFA? (Product number and company please!) The ampules sound interesting...


-- 

Dr. David Knecht    
Department of Molecular and Cell Biology
Co-head Flow Cytometry and Confocal Microscopy Facility
U-3125
91 N. Eagleville Rd.
University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT 06269
860-486-2200
860-486-4331 (fax)


anh2006 anh2006
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Re: GFP tissue preparation for confocal microscopy

Re: GFP tissue preparation for confocal microscopy
Your understanding is correct. It's a misnomer, extremely common and although incorrect, it's generally accepted.



At 4:04 PM -0400 4/23/09, David Knecht wrote:
 I have always used the comparable Polysciences ampules of 16% formaldehyde.  I don't understand the Alfa product. My understanding was that paraformaldehyde was a solid, and dissolving it led to it being converted to formaldehyde.  They are selling it as 16% paraformaldehyde.    Dave

On Apr 23, 2009, at 12:15 PM, Andrea Hooper wrote:

Dear Caroline,

What do you mean by dehydration precisely? Do you dry your slides after sectioning?

Here is our ampoules info:
(1) http://www.alfa.com, Alfa Aesar, Item #43368
(2) http://www.emsdiasum.com, Electron Microscopy Sciences, Item # 15710

Thanks,
Andrea


At 12:05 PM -0400 4/23/09, Caroline Bass wrote:
I concur. I regularly perfuse rats and mice with formaldehyde, and I don't have any problem getting a signal (viral vector delivered EGFP in brain, spleen, liver, muscle, etc.). I have seen severe loss with any sort of dehydration or methanol fixation in fresh tissue.
Can someone recommend a good PFA? (Product number and company please!) The ampules sound interesting...


--



Dr. David Knecht  
Department of Molecular and Cell Biology
Co-head Flow Cytometry and Confocal Microscopy Facility
U-3125
91 N. Eagleville Rd.
University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT 06269
860-486-2200
860-486-4331 (fax)


-- 
Sylvie Le Guyader-2 Sylvie Le Guyader-2
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Re: GFP tissue preparation for confocal microscopy

In reply to this post by Stephen Bunnell
Re: GFP tissue preparation for confocal microscopy

I totally agree with Steve: only bad PFA kills GFP. I have done a fair bit of imaging GFP in filopodia which retracts very fast if not fixed properly.

 

My understanding is that paraformaldehyde is a polymer of formaldehyde and is solid. Formaldehyde is a gas that readily dissolves in water.

In a formaldehyde solution, two things happen:

- Formaldehyde equilibrates between the air above the solution and the solution itself so every time you open your bottle, more formaldehyde leaves the solution. Thus 15mL tubes are a good way to store working stocks because the volume/surface ratio limits this process.

- The second thing that happens is that paraformaldehyde forms as a precipitate which is definitely a sign that your solution needs to be trashed (not down the sink of course!). Thus I think it is not a good idea to buy ‘4%PFA’ in big bottles as it is usually sold except maybe if you use it very fast or if you have applications where the quality of fixation is not critical.

 

I prepare an 8% stock the following way:

Under a fume hood, warm up 150mL of PBS to about 60ºC

Add 16g of PFA powder

Stir and keep warm to dissolve

Adjust the pH to 7.4 with concentrate NaOH (you should then obtain a clear solution)

Adjust the volume to 200mL with PBS

Aliquote in 10 mL in 15mL falcon tubes

Store the aliquots for up to several years (currently using a 2 years old stock) at -20º

The working stock can be stored at 4ºC for a couple of months at the most

I normally pre warm the amount of solution I need to 37ºC and keep the rest in the fridge

I add the warm 2x solution directly onto my cells covered in the same volume of their own overnight medium (or changed at least 30 min before sot that the cells are very happyJ)

5 min at 37ºC for a single layer culture is plenty

Mount and image within 24h as the autofluorescence will quickly show up against your signal. You can image later but your signal to noise ratio will worsen with time.

I find this method excellent for preserving filopodia. It’s also trouble free since there is no rinsing the cells or making fresh solution every day.

 

Good luck!

 

Med vänlig hälsning / Best regards

 

Sylvie

 

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Sylvie Le Guyader

Dept of Biosciences and Nutrition

Karolinska Institutet

Novum

14157 Huddinge

Sweden

+46 (0)8 608 9240


From: Confocal Microscopy List [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Stephen Bunnell
Sent: 23 April 2009 17:20
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: GFP tissue preparation for confocal microscopy

 

PFA does not kill GFP fluorescence.

BAD PFA kills GFP fluorescence.

We routinely use 1% PFA with GFP, YFP, and CFP, and have never had a problem so long as the PFA is fresh and pH’ed to between 7.0 and 7.4.

    -Steve



On 4/22/09 10:34 PM, "Young Jik Kwon" <[hidden email]> wrote:

All,

We are trying to take confocal micrographs of at tumor tissues that express GFP. What would be the sample preparation procedures? We tried cryosectioned samples but the cell morphology seems weird. We already know paraformaldehyde fixation kills GFP fluorescence. Any expert's advice?

Best,

Young




****************************************************************************
Stephen C. Bunnell, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Tufts University Medical School
Department of Pathology
Jaharis Bldg., Room 512
150 Harrison Ave.
Boston, MA 02111

Phone: (617) 636-2174
Fax:   (617) 636-2990
Email: [hidden email]

SHIPPING ADDRESS (for packages):
Tufts University Receiving
37 Tyler St.
Attn: Bunnell/Pathology/Jaharis 524
Boston, MA 02111

Knecht, David Knecht, David
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Re: GFP tissue preparation for confocal microscopy

How long do you store the ampule formaldehyde after cracking open the vial?  What temp do you store it at?  Dave

On Apr 24, 2009, at 4:25 AM, Sylvie Le Guyader wrote:

I totally agree with Steve: only bad PFA kills GFP. I have done a fair bit of imaging GFP in filopodia which retracts very fast if not fixed properly.

My understanding is that paraformaldehyde is a polymer of formaldehyde and is solid. Formaldehyde is a gas that readily dissolves in water.
In a formaldehyde solution, two things happen:
- Formaldehyde equilibrates between the air above the solution and the solution itself so every time you open your bottle, more formaldehyde leaves the solution. Thus 15mL tubes are a good way to store working stocks because the volume/surface ratio limits this process.
- The second thing that happens is that paraformaldehyde forms as a precipitate which is definitely a sign that your solution needs to be trashed (not down the sink of course!). Thus I think it is not a good idea to buy ‘4%PFA’ in big bottles as it is usually sold except maybe if you use it very fast or if you have applications where the quality of fixation is not critical.

I prepare an 8% stock the following way:
Under a fume hood, warm up 150mL of PBS to about 60ºC
Add 16g of PFA powder
Stir and keep warm to dissolve
Adjust the pH to 7.4 with concentrate NaOH (you should then obtain a clear solution)
Adjust the volume to 200mL with PBS
Aliquote in 10 mL in 15mL falcon tubes
Store the aliquots for up to several years (currently using a 2 years old stock) at -20º
The working stock can be stored at 4ºC for a couple of months at the most
I normally pre warm the amount of solution I need to 37ºC and keep the rest in the fridge
I add the warm 2x solution directly onto my cells covered in the same volume of their own overnight medium (or changed at least 30 min before sot that the cells are very happy:))
5 min at 37ºC for a single layer culture is plenty
Mount and image within 24h as the autofluorescence will quickly show up against your signal. You can image later but your signal to noise ratio will worsen with time.
I find this method excellent for preserving filopodia. It’s also trouble free since there is no rinsing the cells or making fresh solution every day.

Good luck!

Med vänlig hälsning / Best regards

Sylvie

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Sylvie Le Guyader
Dept of Biosciences and Nutrition
Karolinska Institutet
Novum
14157 Huddinge
Sweden
+46 (0)8 608 9240
________________________________
From: Confocal Microscopy List [[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Stephen Bunnell
Sent: 23 April 2009 17:20
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: GFP tissue preparation for confocal microscopy

PFA does not kill GFP fluorescence.

BAD PFA kills GFP fluorescence.

We routinely use 1% PFA with GFP, YFP, and CFP, and have never had a problem so long as the PFA is fresh and pH’ed to between 7.0 and 7.4.

   -Steve



On 4/22/09 10:34 PM, "Young Jik Kwon" <[hidden email]> wrote:
All,

We are trying to take confocal micrographs of at tumor tissues that express GFP. What would be the sample preparation procedures? We tried cryosectioned samples but the cell morphology seems weird. We already know paraformaldehyde fixation kills GFP fluorescence. Any expert's advice?

Best,

Young




****************************************************************************
Stephen C. Bunnell, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Tufts University Medical School
Department of Pathology
Jaharis Bldg., Room 512
150 Harrison Ave.
Boston, MA 02111

Phone: (617) 636-2174
Fax:   (617) 636-2990
Email: [hidden email]

SHIPPING ADDRESS (for packages):
Tufts University Receiving
37 Tyler St.
Attn: Bunnell/Pathology/Jaharis 524
Boston, MA 02111


Dr. David Knecht    
Department of Molecular and Cell Biology
Co-head Flow Cytometry and Confocal Microscopy Facility
U-3125
91 N. Eagleville Rd.
University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT 06269
860-486-2200
860-486-4331 (fax)


Cameron Nowell Cameron Nowell
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Re: GFP tissue preparation for confocal microscopy

Afer cracking an ampuole i decant it into a 15/10ml tube, date it and store it in the fridge. After two weeks i throw it out.
 
 
Cheers
 
Cam
 
 

________________________________

From: Confocal Microscopy List on behalf of David Knecht
Sent: Fri 24/04/2009 10:50 PM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: GFP tissue preparation for confocal microscopy


How long do you store the ampule formaldehyde after cracking open the vial?  What temp do you store it at?  Dave

On Apr 24, 2009, at 4:25 AM, Sylvie Le Guyader wrote:


        I totally agree with Steve: only bad PFA kills GFP. I have done a fair bit of imaging GFP in filopodia which retracts very fast if not fixed properly.
       
        My understanding is that paraformaldehyde is a polymer of formaldehyde and is solid. Formaldehyde is a gas that readily dissolves in water.
        In a formaldehyde solution, two things happen:
        - Formaldehyde equilibrates between the air above the solution and the solution itself so every time you open your bottle, more formaldehyde leaves the solution. Thus 15mL tubes are a good way to store working stocks because the volume/surface ratio limits this process.
        - The second thing that happens is that paraformaldehyde forms as a precipitate which is definitely a sign that your solution needs to be trashed (not down the sink of course!). Thus I think it is not a good idea to buy '4%PFA' in big bottles as it is usually sold except maybe if you use it very fast or if you have applications where the quality of fixation is not critical.
       
        I prepare an 8% stock the following way:
        Under a fume hood, warm up 150mL of PBS to about 60ºC
        Add 16g of PFA powder
        Stir and keep warm to dissolve
        Adjust the pH to 7.4 with concentrate NaOH (you should then obtain a clear solution)
        Adjust the volume to 200mL with PBS
        Aliquote in 10 mL in 15mL falcon tubes
        Store the aliquots for up to several years (currently using a 2 years old stock) at -20º
        The working stock can be stored at 4ºC for a couple of months at the most
        I normally pre warm the amount of solution I need to 37ºC and keep the rest in the fridge
        I add the warm 2x solution directly onto my cells covered in the same volume of their own overnight medium (or changed at least 30 min before sot that the cells are very happy:))
        5 min at 37ºC for a single layer culture is plenty
        Mount and image within 24h as the autofluorescence will quickly show up against your signal. You can image later but your signal to noise ratio will worsen with time.
        I find this method excellent for preserving filopodia. It's also trouble free since there is no rinsing the cells or making fresh solution every day.
       
        Good luck!
       
        Med vänlig hälsning / Best regards
       
        Sylvie
       
        @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
        Sylvie Le Guyader
        Dept of Biosciences and Nutrition
        Karolinska Institutet
        Novum
        14157 Huddinge
        Sweden
        +46 (0)8 608 9240
        ________________________________
        From: Confocal Microscopy List [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Stephen Bunnell
        Sent: 23 April 2009 17:20
        To: [hidden email]
        Subject: Re: GFP tissue preparation for confocal microscopy
       
        PFA does not kill GFP fluorescence.
       
        BAD PFA kills GFP fluorescence.
       
        We routinely use 1% PFA with GFP, YFP, and CFP, and have never had a problem so long as the PFA is fresh and pH'ed to between 7.0 and 7.4.
       
           -Steve
       
       
       
        On 4/22/09 10:34 PM, "Young Jik Kwon" <[hidden email]> wrote:
        All,
       
        We are trying to take confocal micrographs of at tumor tissues that express GFP. What would be the sample preparation procedures? We tried cryosectioned samples but the cell morphology seems weird. We already know paraformaldehyde fixation kills GFP fluorescence. Any expert's advice?
       
        Best,
       
        Young
       
       
       
       
        ****************************************************************************
        Stephen C. Bunnell, Ph.D.
        Assistant Professor
        Tufts University Medical School
        Department of Pathology
        Jaharis Bldg., Room 512
        150 Harrison Ave.
        Boston, MA 02111
       
        Phone: (617) 636-2174
        Fax:   (617) 636-2990
        Email: [hidden email]
       
        SHIPPING ADDRESS (for packages):
        Tufts University Receiving
        37 Tyler St.
        Attn: Bunnell/Pathology/Jaharis 524
        Boston, MA 02111
       
       


Dr. David Knecht    
Department of Molecular and Cell Biology
Co-head Flow Cytometry and Confocal Microscopy Facility
U-3125
91 N. Eagleville Rd.
University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT 06269
860-486-2200
860-486-4331 (fax)
Stephen Bunnell Stephen Bunnell
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Re: GFP tissue preparation for confocal microscopy

In reply to this post by Sylvie Le Guyader-2
Re: GFP tissue preparation for confocal microscopy I totally agree with Sylvie...  :)

Her chemistry is right on, and her PFA prep is basically identical to the one we use. My only addition is- Keep the powdered PFA stock at –20°C, and don’t open the stock while the bottle is still cold. This will lead to condensation into the stock, which promotes its degradation.

For preservation of fine/delicate/dynamic structures, we also use a final concentration of 4% PFA at 37°C to capture the ‘state’ instantly. We have added PFA to live cells in dynamic imaging assays, and it stops dynamic movements very quickly. If the PFA is good, you should not see _any_ fading of a GFP or YFP signal. If the PFA is good, leaving the cells in the fixative for ~24 hours does not appreciably reduce the YFP signal. Still, we usually wash it out after 10 minutes.

Some antibody epitopes (empirically determined) do not fare well under these conditions- In these cases we find that a longer fix with lower doses of PFA is adequate (e.g. 0.4% PFA for 30 minutes at 37°C). I suspect this approach would fail if the troublesome epitope were it to be found in a structure such as a filopodium.

    -Best regards,

    -Steve



On 4/24/09 4:25 AM, "Sylvie Le Guyader" <[hidden email]> wrote:

I totally agree with Steve: only bad PFA kills GFP. I have done a fair bit of imaging GFP in filopodia which retracts very fast if not fixed properly.
 
My understanding is that paraformaldehyde is a polymer of formaldehyde and is solid. Formaldehyde is a gas that readily dissolves in water.
In a formaldehyde solution, two things happen:
- Formaldehyde equilibrates between the air above the solution and the solution itself so every time you open your bottle, more formaldehyde leaves the solution. Thus 15mL tubes are a good way to store working stocks because the volume/surface ratio limits this process.
- The second thing that happens is that paraformaldehyde forms as a precipitate which is definitely a sign that your solution needs to be trashed (not down the sink of course!). Thus I think it is not a good idea to buy ‘4%PFA’ in big bottles as it is usually sold except maybe if you use it very fast or if you have applications where the quality of fixation is not critical.
 
I prepare an 8% stock the following way:
Under a fume hood, warm up 150mL of PBS to about 60ºC
Add 16g of PFA powder
Stir and keep warm to dissolve
Adjust the pH to 7.4 with concentrate NaOH (you should then obtain a clear solution)
Adjust the volume to 200mL with PBS
Aliquote in 10 mL in 15mL falcon tubes
Store the aliquots for up to several years (currently using a 2 years old stock) at -20º
The working stock can be stored at 4ºC for a couple of months at the most
I normally pre warm the amount of solution I need to 37ºC and keep the rest in the fridge
I add the warm 2x solution directly onto my cells covered in the same volume of their own overnight medium (or changed at least 30 min before sot that the cells are very happy
J)
5 min at 37ºC for a single layer culture is plenty
Mount and image within 24h as the autofluorescence will quickly show up against your signal. You can image later but your signal to noise ratio will worsen with time.
I find this method excellent for preserving filopodia. It’s also trouble free since there is no rinsing the cells or making fresh solution every day.
 
Good luck!
 

Med vänlig hälsning / Best regards

Sylvie

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Sylvie Le Guyader
Dept of Biosciences and Nutrition
Karolinska Institutet
Novum
14157 Huddinge
Sweden
+46 (0)8 608 9240


From: Confocal Microscopy List [[hidden email] On Behalf Of Stephen Bunnell
Sent: 23 April 2009 17:20
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: GFP tissue preparation for confocal microscopy

PFA does not kill GFP fluorescence.

BAD PFA kills GFP fluorescence.

We routinely use 1% PFA with GFP, YFP, and CFP, and have never had a problem so long as the PFA is fresh and pH’ed to between 7.0 and 7.4.

    -Steve



On 4/22/09 10:34 PM, "Young Jik Kwon" <[hidden email]> wrote:
All,

We are trying to take confocal micrographs of at tumor tissues that express GFP. What would be the sample preparation procedures? We tried cryosectioned samples but the cell morphology seems weird. We already know paraformaldehyde fixation kills GFP fluorescence. Any expert's advice?

Best,

Young





****************************************************************************
Stephen C. Bunnell, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Tufts University Medical School
Department of Pathology
Jaharis Bldg., Room 512
150 Harrison Ave.
Boston, MA 02111

Phone: (617) 636-2174
Fax:   (617) 636-2990
Email: [hidden email]

SHIPPING ADDRESS (for packages):
Tufts University Receiving
37 Tyler St.
Attn: Bunnell/Pathology/Jaharis 524
Boston, MA 02111




****************************************************************************
Stephen C. Bunnell, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Tufts University Medical School
Department of Pathology
Jaharis Bldg., Room 512
150 Harrison Ave.
Boston, MA 02111

Phone: (617) 636-2174
Fax:   (617) 636-2990
Email: [hidden email]

SHIPPING ADDRESS (for packages):
Tufts University Receiving
37 Tyler St.
Attn: Bunnell/Pathology/Jaharis 524
Boston, MA 02111


Knecht, David Knecht, David
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Re: GFP tissue preparation for confocal microscopy

We usually use 1-2% formaldehyde, often with 0.1% glutaraldehyde mixed in (also from ampule aliquots) in whatever media the cells are in.  This fixes slightly faster in some cells and the low glut does not generate significant background, so no quenching is necessary.  It is hard to quantify any of this, but this has become our "standard" fix as it has worked well for most cell types and probes.  Dave

On Apr 24, 2009, at 11:27 AM, Stephen Bunnell wrote:

I totally agree with Sylvie...  :)

Her chemistry is right on, and her PFA prep is basically identical to the one we use. My only addition is- Keep the powdered PFA stock at –20°C, and don’t open the stock while the bottle is still cold. This will lead to condensation into the stock, which promotes its degradation.

For preservation of fine/delicate/dynamic structures, we also use a final concentration of 4% PFA at 37°C to capture the ‘state’ instantly. We have added PFA to live cells in dynamic imaging assays, and it stops dynamic movements very quickly. If the PFA is good, you should not see _any_ fading of a GFP or YFP signal. If the PFA is good, leaving the cells in the fixative for ~24 hours does not appreciably reduce the YFP signal. Still, we usually wash it out after 10 minutes.

Some antibody epitopes (empirically determined) do not fare well under these conditions- In these cases we find that a longer fix with lower doses of PFA is adequate (e.g. 0.4% PFA for 30 minutes at 37°C). I suspect this approach would fail if the troublesome epitope were it to be found in a structure such as a filopodium.

    -Best regards,

    -Steve



On 4/24/09 4:25 AM, "Sylvie Le Guyader" <[hidden email]> wrote:

I totally agree with Steve: only bad PFA kills GFP. I have done a fair bit of imaging GFP in filopodia which retracts very fast if not fixed properly.
 
My understanding is that paraformaldehyde is a polymer of formaldehyde and is solid. Formaldehyde is a gas that readily dissolves in water.
In a formaldehyde solution, two things happen:
- Formaldehyde equilibrates between the air above the solution and the solution itself so every time you open your bottle, more formaldehyde leaves the solution. Thus 15mL tubes are a good way to store working stocks because the volume/surface ratio limits this process.
- The second thing that happens is that paraformaldehyde forms as a precipitate which is definitely a sign that your solution needs to be trashed (not down the sink of course!). Thus I think it is not a good idea to buy ‘4%PFA’ in big bottles as it is usually sold except maybe if you use it very fast or if you have applications where the quality of fixation is not critical.
 
I prepare an 8% stock the following way:
Under a fume hood, warm up 150mL of PBS to about 60ºC
Add 16g of PFA powder
Stir and keep warm to dissolve
Adjust the pH to 7.4 with concentrate NaOH (you should then obtain a clear solution)
Adjust the volume to 200mL with PBS
Aliquote in 10 mL in 15mL falcon tubes
Store the aliquots for up to several years (currently using a 2 years old stock) at -20º
The working stock can be stored at 4ºC for a couple of months at the most
I normally pre warm the amount of solution I need to 37ºC and keep the rest in the fridge
I add the warm 2x solution directly onto my cells covered in the same volume of their own overnight medium (or changed at least 30 min before sot that the cells are very happy
J)
5 min at 37ºC for a single layer culture is plenty
Mount and image within 24h as the autofluorescence will quickly show up against your signal. You can image later but your signal to noise ratio will worsen with time.
I find this method excellent for preserving filopodia. It’s also trouble free since there is no rinsing the cells or making fresh solution every day.
 
Good luck!
 

Med vänlig hälsning / Best regards

Sylvie

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Sylvie Le Guyader
Dept of Biosciences and Nutrition
Karolinska Institutet
Novum
14157 Huddinge
Sweden
+46 (0)8 608 9240

From: Confocal Microscopy List [[hidden email] On Behalf Of Stephen Bunnell
Sent: 23 April 2009 17:20
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: GFP tissue preparation for confocal microscopy

PFA does not kill GFP fluorescence.

BAD PFA kills GFP fluorescence.

We routinely use 1% PFA with GFP, YFP, and CFP, and have never had a problem so long as the PFA is fresh and pH’ed to between 7.0 and 7.4.

    -Steve



On 4/22/09 10:34 PM, "Young Jik Kwon" <[hidden email]> wrote:
All,

We are trying to take confocal micrographs of at tumor tissues that express GFP. What would be the sample preparation procedures? We tried cryosectioned samples but the cell morphology seems weird. We already know paraformaldehyde fixation kills GFP fluorescence. Any expert's advice?

Best,

Young





****************************************************************************
Stephen C. Bunnell, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Tufts University Medical School
Department of Pathology
Jaharis Bldg., Room 512
150 Harrison Ave.
Boston, MA 02111

Phone: (617) 636-2174
Fax:   (617) 636-2990
Email: [hidden email]

SHIPPING ADDRESS (for packages):
Tufts University Receiving
37 Tyler St.
Attn: Bunnell/Pathology/Jaharis 524
Boston, MA 02111




****************************************************************************
Stephen C. Bunnell, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Tufts University Medical School
Department of Pathology
Jaharis Bldg., Room 512
150 Harrison Ave.
Boston, MA 02111

Phone: (617) 636-2174
Fax:   (617) 636-2990
Email: [hidden email]

SHIPPING ADDRESS (for packages):
Tufts University Receiving
37 Tyler St.
Attn: Bunnell/Pathology/Jaharis 524
Boston, MA 02111



Dr. David Knecht    
Department of Molecular and Cell Biology
Co-head Flow Cytometry and Confocal Microscopy Facility
U-3125
91 N. Eagleville Rd.
University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT 06269
860-486-2200
860-486-4331 (fax)


Won Yung Choi, Ph.D. Won Yung Choi, Ph.D.
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Re: GFP tissue preparation for confocal microscopy

In reply to this post by Young Jik Kwon
Hello, Young Jik,

I have worked for several years on endogenous CFP, YFP, RFP and GFP in
transgenic mice as well as neurons (both primary cultured and in vivo) that
are transfected via plasmid vectors to express YFP, GFP and dsRed and there
are some important issues that I discovered that I want to share.

1) Here is how I prepare my brain sections: mice/rats are perfused with cold
PBS/4% para is made fresh as everyone has pointed out.  I use the brown
ampules from EMS as well - but we never save them (we always use them
fresh).  I've found out that the brightness of the GFP is significantly
reduced if the perfusion is not as good.  

2)  The brains are postfixed in 2% para overnight.  Over fixation increases
background fluorescence especially in the YFP range, but I personally have
not observed overfixation reducing the signal (perhaps this is because I use
fresh PFA).

3) ** I've found that using a cryostat, rather than a vibratome
significantly reduces the intensity when I view the sections without
immunostaining.  I've done numerous testings in the lab to confirm this - I
think the brains being frozen somehow affects the GFP structure, because the
brains are otherwise prepared identically when I test them side by side.

4)  XFP's have to be hydrated to be visible as has been elucidated by one
posters.  This is why a sectioned brain that is dried will not show any GFP+
cells, but once it is hydrated even with PBS, will fluoresce.  Therefore, a
wet mounting medium is important to use.  I currently use Prolong Gold from
Invritrogen - when the agent cures, it solidifies a little, but still has to
be sealed with nail polish because it does not solidify completely (I am
assuming this last part).  I used to use Vectashield which was also good,
but it remained completely wet - I have had not such experience with
Fluormount G - but I think mine had been in the lab for some time so maybe a
fresh one may work well.

5)  Lastly, as another poster mentioned, you could use a GFP antibody to
bring out the signal - however, I think it is difficult to quantify
gene-expression based on the intensity of signal (with or without
immunostaining) because the intensity can be lowered due to many factors
mentioned above (that is, if you are working with a whole animal, and
obtaining the sections - perhaps this is less of a concern in a cultured
prep).  As cumbersome as it may be, perhaps doing a pilot RT-PCR with GFP
fluorescent cells may be enough to establish if the intensity is a reliable
predictor of your gene-expression using your protocol, because however you
are preparing your cells/sections may or may not be a good method.

I hope this helps and good luck!

Won Yung Choi

------------------------------------------------------------
Won Yung Choi, Ph.D.  
Research Scientist      
Department of Molecular Therapeutics
New York State Psychiatric Institute/    
Department of Psychiatry                          
Columbia University                                      
1051 Riverside Drive, NYSPI Unit 62        
New York, NY 10032 (212) 543-6058
------------------------------------------------------------
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