We routinely store in 70% ethanol(ETOH). High enough concentration of ETOH
for most things not to grow but not so high as to cause the tissue to
become too brittle. Of course we dont do this indefintely. What are the
concerns over embedding? A lot of the problems that arise during
immunostaining are caused by the fixation not necessarily the embedding
procedure and in that case I would probably freeze half and fix the other
half.
anita



Hello, Histonetters:

I have whole lung tissue, from rat, obtained by perfusion with 4%
paraformaldehyde, removed, and then further fixed in PFA [that's
paraformaldehyde ;-) ]  for 3 days. The plan is to collect thick vibratome
sections, so the tissue will never be embedded. I would like to keep part
of the lung for sectioning in the future and to carry out
immunocytochemistry. What solution should I keep them immersed in? Right
now they are in PBS, at 4deg C  but I feel that some preservative should be
added to prevent decomposition. However, keeping them in fixative may
reduce their antigenicity.

I would appreciate hearing any suggestions from this very knowledgable
group.
Thank you
Judy

Judy Trogadis