The way we thawed specimens at a lab I used to work for, is by putting the frozen tissue in refrigerated PBS for a few minutes.  We then patted it dry on a piece of filter paper and proceeded with the OCT embedding.  Of course that's if you want your tissue completely surrounded by OCT.  If not, you can just mount it directly in OCT from the -80.

Juan C. Gutierrez, HT(ASCP)
Histology Laboratory Supervisor
Christus Santa Rosa Hospital
333 N. Santa Rosa Ave.
San Antonio, TX  78207
(210)704-2533


-----Original Message-----
From: Jo Dee Fish [mailto:jfish@gladstone.ucsf.edu]
Sent: Thursday, June 10, 2004 1:22 PM
To: Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Subject: [Histonet] Embedding previously frozen brain


Hello Netters,
I have a question that came from an investigator at my institute:

Can mouse brain that has been snap frozen in liquid nitrogen (stored 
at -80 C degrees) be thawed and embedded in OCT for cryosectioning 
without causing excessive damage?  How can this be done?

I appreciate all of your answers and thank you all in advance.

Take care,
Jo Dee


********************************************************************** 
**********

Jo Dee Fish
Research Technologist III
Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease

Telephone: (415) 695-3720
Fax: (415) 285-5632
E-mail: jfish@gladstone.ucsf.edu

Mailing address:
Gladstone Institutes
P.O. Box 419100
San Francisco, CA 94141-9100

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