Dear Histonetters:

Cell Marque is planning to offer the presure cooker which Don Luke spoke of
(just in case you have any difficulty in contacting the manufacturer
directly.)  Our company is a huge proponent of conventional pressure
cookers for pretreating tissue. They are consistent, easy to use, and will
work the same way in your lab as they do in ours (contrast to most
microwaves).  This last point is important because it allows us to
recommend a specific protocol.

Also, in those instances where you have to unmask especially over-fixed
tissue, this method does not produce that "over-cooked" tissue problem that
so many labs seem to encounter with microwaveable pressure cookers.

The conventional pressure cooker is a great choice whatever HIER reagent
you elect to use. I will be happy to discuss the many options that are out
there.

Best regards,
Paul Ardi
Cell Marque Corp.
Austin, Texas
800-665-7284