Technical Report 99-006: Cell Biological Applications of Fluorescence Microscopy

Cell Biological Applications of Fluorescence Microscopy

Stephen Rogers

Manager, Microscopy Suite, Light and Confocal Microscopy

The purpose of this technical bulletin is to provide an introduction to fluorescence microscopy to newcomers to the technique, and to collect a variety of protocols for specific applications of fluorescence in one place. In this bulletin, I have tried to assemble some of the techniques and lore that I have found particularly useful.

Contents
Introduction	2
Fluorescence Microscopy	3
Specimen Preparation	4
Fixation	5
Permeabilization	6
Blocking	7
Mounting Media	8
Photobleaching	9
Techniques for Staining Specific Cellular Structures	10
Microtubules	10
Actin	11
DNA	12
Mitochondria	13
Golgi Apparatus	14
Endoplasmic Reticulum	15
Sample Fixation Protocols	16
Glutaraldehyde Fixation	16
pH-Shift/Formaldehyde Fixation	17
Recipes	18
References	19

Imaging Technology Group
Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
405 N. Mathews, Urbana, IL 61801
Technical Report 99-006
Date Issued: 21 April 1999

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