If you will stain the LacZ bones after fixation with X-gal to develop the stable blue precipitate, you may decalcify and paraffin process as usual.  The developed stain is quite stable to processing. If you need a receipe for the staining solution let me know and I'll dig it out of my files. Good luck, Donna MontagueUniversity of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Department of Physiology & Biophysics and
Center for Orthopaedic Research
4301 W. Markham St. # 505
Little Rock, AR 72205


-----Original Message-----
From: przemko [mailto:przemko@med.kuleuven.ac.be] 
Sent: Monday, March 31, 2003 3:06 AM
Cc: Histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
Subject: b-gal staining in old bones


Hi!
I have the following problem. I have an old mouse expressing LacZ (a 
transgene) and I would like to see where the LacZ is expressed. Soft 
organs (heart, lungs) I can do wholemount and then slice it up. The 
problem is with bone. Cannot do wholemounts, too high mineral content. I 
cannot demineralize because then the divalent cations would be gone and 
my b-gal would destabilize (or would it?). I cannot make frozen sections 
and if I do paraffin sections then b-gal is dead.
Any help, experience, pointers will be appreciated. BTW, I googled 
around, checked the library and talked to some people. So far I have no 
solution to my problem.

ThanX
Przemko

-- 
Przemko Tylzanowski Ph.D.
LSD & Joint
O & N
University of Leuven
Herestraat 49
3000 Leuven
Belgium

phone: (32-16)34-61-96
fax  : (32-16)34-62-00