John, my understanding is that the blocking serum is drained (shaken) off the
slide, but a film of it left on, to keep the blocking action active to prevent
non specific protein/protein interactions. Does that make sense, all you
immuno gurus? Katri.

Katri Tuomala
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

"John C. Dennis" wrote:

> Dear Histofolk
>
> Can anyone explain why now and again we hear/read that blocking solution
> should be shaken, not washed, from the tissue sections prior to
> applying primary or secondary solutions?
>
> Once I was a shaker but there was no gift in simplicity.  I got uneven and
> patchy signal patterns.  Now I'm a dipper and no longer have those
> difficulties.
>
> John Carroll Dennis
> Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology
> 109 Greene Hall
> Auburn University, AL  36849