My colleague calls the methanol acetone mix 'Stinky Fix', and she is
right!!! We use that for in situ on cultured cells.

For immuno on cultured cells i usually fix in acetone, at -20 Celsius,
but i think that is  probably from naivety, rather than precision. (self
taught histologist!)

Probably not much help, but my 2 cents worth!

emma carter
Oxford BioMedica (UK) Ltd

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	David Grehan
> Sent:	Friday, December 17, 1999 1:56 PM
> To:	'histonet'
> Subject:	fixation of cells for immunostaining
>
> Hi,
> Does anyone have a good protocol for fixing and storing  cell
> preparation following cytospin or touch prep which will be
> subsequently
> immunostained. I have tried a number of methods but with indifferent
> results. I work in a paediatric hospital so we do not get many
> cytology
> specimens to do immunocytochemistry, but occasionally it would be
> useful
> to have a good reliable protocol. Is 50:50 methanol acetone a good
> fixative and should I air dry before fixation or not.
>