Antibodies, A Laboratory Manual, Second Edition, Edited by Edward A. Greenfield



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Fixing Attached Cells in Paraformaldehyde or Glutaraldehyde

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Fixation in protein cross-linking reagents such as paraformaldehyde or glutaraldehyde preserves cell structure better than organic solvents but may reduce the antigenicity of some cell components. Simple fixation with paraformaldehyde or glutaraldehyde does not allow the antibody to access the specimen and therefore is followed by a permeabilization step using an organic solvent or nonionic detergent. Using the organic solvent is easy, but it can destroy certain elements of the cell architecture (see Protocol 11), although prior fixation with paraformaldehyde does help to preserve the cellular structure. If preservation of cell structure is important, the best first choice would be to use a nonionic detergent.

Antibodies: A Laboratory Manual, Second edition
Antibodies: A Laboratory Manual, Second edition
Antibodies: A Laboratory Manual, Second edition

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