Sample Pre-treatment: Fresh Frozen¶
- Applicable samples: Fresh Frozen (FF) cryosections
- Version: v5.3
- Last modified: 2026-01-29
What's next?
After completing pre-treatment, proceed to the unified RCA Protocol (Blocking → Hybridization → Ligation → RCA → Post-fix).
1. Sample Preparation & Sectioning¶
Goal: Obtain high-quality sections free of ice crystals and cracks, with firm adhesion to slides.
- Embedding & Freezing: Use isopentane + dry ice for rapid freezing.
- Cryosectioning: Blade: -20°C, Head: -10°C, Thickness: 10 µm.
- Section Placement: Pre-chilled slide pickup -> finger-back press for adhesion -> return to cold stage immediately.
- Storage: Store at -80°C.
2. Fixation¶
Goal: Brief thermal retrieval for adhesion, then chemical fixation.
- Retrieve: Transport slides on dry ice.
- Thaw & Adhere: Place immediately on 37°C hot plate for 1 min.
- Fixation: Immerse vertically in Slide Mailer with 4% PFA (Fresh), incubate at room temperature (RT) for 30 min.
- Wash: PBS wash 2 x 2 min.
Assemble Chamber: Assemble pre-treatment chamber to limit liquid mount.
3. Permeabilization¶
Goal: Mild pore formation.
- Incubate: 0.04% Pepsin (in 0.1 M HCl) at 37°C for 2 min.
- Wash: PBS-Tween 0.05% wash 2 x 2 min.
4. Dehydration¶
Goal: Improve tissue permeability.
- Pre-dehydrate: 80% Ethanol for 10 min.
- Dehydrate: 100% Ethanol for 2 min.
- Rehydrate: PBS-Tween 0.05% wash 2 x 2 min.
Next step: RCA Protocol (Blocking → RCA)