Ian,

A couple of useful web sites:
http://www.wormatlas.org/
and Dave Hall's lab at Albert Einstein Coll. of Medicine:
http://wormem.aecom.yu.edu/
Jay Campbell at U Wisconsin has done a bunch of C. elegans EM.
jmcampbe@wisc.edu
Mind, most of the people I know are either doing EM or confocal on 
whole-mount or squish-mount worms. Not light microscopic sections, so 
I'm not sure how useful these contacts will be.
The big trick for fixation & processing at the EM level is 
high-pressure freezing followed by freeze-substitution for embedding.
For "regular" light histology & sectioning, I'd suggest lopping off 
the head & tail & maybe bisecting the body, then embed in JB-4 or 
similar resin and cut with a glass knife.

Paraffin embedding and steel knives won't cut it.

Phil


>             When the select few are sitting in the nuclear bunkers the
>dominant species on the planet will be nematodes. I've just started a
>project for my Zoologist colleagues studying these wee devils and I'm
>convinced they are the mega-organism. Formaldehyde, not a problem, couple of
>weeks later, give them a rinse and away they swim. Osmium tetroxide, "are
>they trying to annoy me with this slightly noxious compound." Managing to
>fix them is hard enough but processing for sectioning, a nightmare. Does
>anyone have experience processing these beasts? Hints and tips would be very
>welcome.
>
>Ian.
>
>Dr. Ian Montgomery,
>Histotechnology,
>I.B.L.S. Support Unit,
>Thomson Building,
>University of Glasgow,
>G12 8QQ.
-- 
Philip Oshel
Microscopy Facility Supervisor
Biology Department
024C Brooks Hall
Central Michigan University
Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859
(989) 774-3576

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