Dear Ms Frouwke:

Frouwke Kuijpers wrote:

> My problem is that I don't know which staining I want to do over half a
> year, (how beautiful is science...).
> We have sections left over from other experiments, normal we throw them away
> and use fresh material when we start a new experiment.  But because of the
> sick mice we want the sections we still have store for a longer period.
>
> So, who has a good advice in this: with or without silicagel and what is the
> reason to do so?

    If you store the sections with silica gel they will be dehydrated, freeze
dried. That may be good for staining some things. It may not be good for some
other things. For immunstaining, some antigens are well preserved this way, some
are not. For most tinctorial staining (colors) storing I would dried might be
better but I have no experience with this. Most workers don't store tissue they
intend to use for long periods of time without running some tests first. Since
you are not sure how the tissue will be used, it is difficult to give specific
advice. If you must store the tissue, I suggest storing it both ways.

Geoff

> Frouwke (btw, I am a 'she')
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Pamela Marcum" 
> To: "Geoff McAuliffe" ; "Frouwke Kuijpers"
> 
> Cc: "histonet" 
> Sent: Wednesday, March 05, 2003 9:01 PM
> Subject: RE: storage frozen tissue -80C
>
> > Do you really think he should stain NOW?  Actually I agree I have had
> > several of the possible accidents you mention happen to material I was
> > attempting to save over the years.  The freezer going out on a weekend
> when
> > the security guards forgo to patrol the far end of the hall and see what
> the
> > alarm going off meant was my personal favorite.  The emergency generator
> did
> > not kick in and five labs lost tissue samples collected over years.  None
> of
> > it was recoverable  and no said anything for days that could be repeated
> in
> > civilized culture.  I have had material thrown out by well meaning blank
> > comment and used without asking.  Anything I could finish and photograph I
> > did. In point of fact still do.  Paranoia is a wonderful thing.    Pam
> > Marcum
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: Geoff McAuliffe [mailto:mcauliff@UMDNJ.EDU]
> > > Sent: Wednesday, March 05, 2003 11:57 AM
> > > To: Frouwke Kuijpers
> > > Cc: histonet
> > > Subject: Re: storage frozen tissue -80C
> > >
> > >
> > >     If you can stain the slides now, do it. Why wait? Avoid all
> > > of the storage
> > > problems. Even after "perfect" storage (whatever that is) what if
> > > the freezer
> > > breaks down over the weekend? What if someone throws your material out
> by
> > > mistake? Or spills something on it? Why take chances with
> > > vaulable specimens.
> > >     Whether to store "wet" or "dry" probably depends on what you
> > > are looking
> > > for. You could store tissue both ways but what if neither way is
> > > good for what
> > > you are looking for?? Did I mention staining the material now?
> > >
> > > Geoff
> > >
> > > Frouwke Kuijpers wrote:
> > >
> > > > Hallo everybody
> > > >
> > > > I have a question about storage of frozen tissue.
> > > > We have no experience with that and we are forced to it now
> > > because the mice
> > > > which we use for our experiments are sick and it takes at least a year
> > > > before we can get new ones. So we have to be very economical
> > > with the tissue
> > > > we have left. We have the fixed sections now in autoclaved PBS
> > > and So-azide
> > > > at 4 C.
> > > >
> > > > People suggested we can store the left sections at - 80 C after
> mounting
> > > > them on slides. I have read about it in the archives of the Histonet
> and
> > > > most people advice to put silicagel in the slide boxes to prevent the
> > > > sections become too humid. Is that for the ice crystals?
> > > > But now my problem: other people of our University told me to
> > > put wet tissue
> > > > in the slideboxes, to prevent the sections are drying out? (Those
> white
> > > > spots you see when you left your frozen meat too long in the fridge).
> > > >
> > > > So, I am in a dilemma now, I have two complete opposite
> > > advices, what should
> > > > I do??
> > > >
> > > > Frouwke Kuijpers
> > > >
> > > > F.J.Kuijpers-Kwant
> > > > Dept. Cellular Animal Physiology
> > > > University of Nijmegen
> > > > Toernooiveld 1
> > > > 6525 ED Nijmegen
> > > > frouwke@sci.kun.nl
> > >
> > > --
> > > **********************************************
> > > Geoff McAuliffe, Ph.D.
> > > Neuroscience and Cell Biology
> > > Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
> > > 675 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854
> > > voice: (732)-235-4583; fax: -4029
> > > mcauliff@umdnj.edu
> > > **********************************************
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >

--
**********************************************
Geoff McAuliffe, Ph.D.
Neuroscience and Cell Biology
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
675 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854
voice: (732)-235-4583; fax: -4029
mcauliff@umdnj.edu
**********************************************