What does CD31 stain for?
In immunohistochemistry, CD31 is used primarily to demonstrate the presence of endothelial cells in histological tissue sections. This can help to evaluate the degree of tumor angiogenesis, which can imply a rapidly growing tumor.
How do you stain macrophages?
Staining solution: Mix 12 ml of methylene blue solution, 12 ml of basic fuchsin solution, 21 ml of 0.2 M phosphate buffer, and 15 ml of ethanol (95% or absolute). This filtered solution can be used for four or five days. Staining procedure: The sections are immersed in the staining solution for 10 – 15 sec.
What are main steps in immunohistochemistry procedure?
A general immunohistochemistry protocol consists of four main steps:
- Fixation—to keep everything in its place.
- Antigen retrieval—to increase the availability of proteins for detection.
- Blocking—to minimize pesky background signals.
- Antibody labeling and visualization—to get the pretty pictures.
Is antigen retrieval necessary for immunofluorescence?
Most formalin-fixed tissues require an antigen retrieval step before immunohistochemical staining. Methylene bridges formed during fixation cross-link proteins and mask antigenic sites. Antigen retrieval methods break these methylene bridges and expose antigenic sites, allowing antibodies to bind.
Is CD31 a marker for endothelial cells?
CD31, also known as platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule 1 (PECAM-1), is thought to be a sensitive and specific marker for vascular differentiation. It is a transmembrane glycoprotein expressed by endothelial cells and a variety of hematopoietic cells.
What do you mean by immunofluorescence?
Immunofluorescence (in short, IF) is a method in biology that relies on the use of antibodies chemically labeled with fluorescent dyes to visualize molecules under a light microscope.
Is antigen retrieval necessary for frozen sections?
Description: Although AR by heating is widely effective, the majority of the existing methods are designed for paraffin-embedded sections. Frozen sections have been generally exempt from these methods because such sections are fragile and are easily destroyed by heating.
What is immunofluorescence staining?
Immunofluorescence staining is the most frequently applied technique to detect and visualize various molecules in biological samples. Many protocols can be found in the literature and the websites of commercial antibody producers.