scholarly journals Optimization of immunohistochemical techniques to detect extracellular matrix proteins in fixed skin specimens.

1989 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
J M Folkvord ◽  
D Viders ◽  
A Coleman-Smith ◽  
R A Clark

Complete antigen visualization in the context of well-preserved tissue architecture is the goal of all immunohistochemical techniques. Frozen tissue section techniques achieve optimal antigen visualization but preserve tissue architecture poorly. On the other hand, formalin-fixed tissue section techniques preserve tissue architecture very well but result in antigen masking. Enzymatic digestion or salt extraction of formalin-fixed sections has been used to reestablish antigen expression. Recently acid-alcohol-fixed tissue has been used as a successful compromise between tissue architecture preservation and the visualization of cytoskeletal antigens. In an attempt to find an improved immunohistochemical process for non-cytoskeletal antigens, we compared avidin-biotin immunofluorescence staining in frozen, formalin-fixed, and acid-alcohol-fixed tissues. The fixed tissues were either untreated or treated with enzyme digestion or salt extraction. For this study, we examined healing cutaneous wounds in Yorkshire pigs with antibodies to fibronectin, laminin, von Willebrand factor VIII, and keratin. Although tissue architecture was poor, frozen sections provided the best antigen visualization and were therefore used as the standard for complete antigen expression. Formalin-fixed tissues had excellent tissue architecture, but most antigens were completely masked. Pre-treatment technique only partially overcame the antigen masking caused by formalin. In contrast, acid-alcohol fixation preserved tissue architecture almost as well as formalin and sometimes allowed complete antigen visualization; however, laminin and fibronectin were partially masked. Total recovery of the expression of these antigens could be obtained by pre-treating the acid-alcohol-fixed tissue with either hyaluronidase or 1 M NaCl. Therefore, acid-alcohol-fixed tissue appears best for extracellular matrix (ECM) protein immunostaining as well as for cytoskeletal staining. However, certain ECM antigens require hyaluronidase or 1 M NaCl treatment for optimal visualization.

1997 ◽  
Vol 45 (12) ◽  
pp. 1665-1672 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rainer Malisius ◽  
Hartmut Merz ◽  
Boris Heinz ◽  
Evariste Gafumbegete ◽  
Britta U. Koch ◽  
...  

Immunohistochemical methods are widely used for diagnostic purposes in histopathology. However, the use of most monoclonal anti-leukocyte antibodies is limited to frozen tissues. Initially, it was believed that formalin fixation in particular, which is the gold standard for morphological tissue preservation, destroys most of the antigen binding sites. In recent years, protease digestion and the introduction of microwave techniques have significantly enhanced the sensitivity of immunohistochemical techniques, and a variety of hidden antigen sites in formalin-fixed tissue have been retrieved for initially unreactive antibodies. It therefore became clear that many of the leukocyte antigens are not irreversibly destroyed but are most probably masked during the fixation process. We developed a technique combining optimized pretreatment of formalin-fixed tissue with a dramatic enhancement of the immunohistochemical sensitivity and named it the ImmunoMax method. The ImmunoMax method proves that by optimizing the technique at the following three levels it is possible to detect formalin-sensitive leukocyte antigens: (a) standard fixation of the tissue; (b) sufficient antigen unmasking; and (c) increasing the substrate turnover by multiplication of binding sites with subsequent enhancement of the immunohistochemical reaction. Using this optimized ImmunoMax method, we were able to detect CD2, CD3, CD4, and CD5 with conventional monoclonal antibodies in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue specimens of various lymphoid tissues.


1991 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 741-748 ◽  
Author(s):  
S R Shi ◽  
M E Key ◽  
K L Kalra

We describe a new approach for retrieval of antigens from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues and their subsequent staining by immunohistochemical techniques. This method of antigen retrieval is based on microwave heating of tissue sections attached to microscope slides to temperatures up to 100 degrees C in the presence of metal solutions. Among 52 monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies tested by this method, 39 antibodies demonstrated a significant increase in immunostaining, nine antibodies showed no change, and four antibodies showed reduced immunostaining. In particular, excellent immunostaining results were obtained with a monoclonal antibody to vimentin as well as several different keratin antibodies on routine formalin-fixed tissue sections after pre-treatment of the slides with this method. These results showed that after antigen retrieval: (a) enzyme predigestion of tissues could be omitted; (b) incubation times of primary antibodies could be significantly reduced, or dilutions of primary antibodies could be increased; (c) adequate staining could be achieved in long-term formalin-fixed tissues that failed to stain by conventional methods; and (d) certain antibodies which were typically unreactive with formalin-fixed tissues gave excellent staining.


2004 ◽  
Vol 287 (4) ◽  
pp. G875-G885 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carine Strup-Perrot ◽  
Denis Mathé ◽  
Christine Linard ◽  
Dominique Violot ◽  
Fabien Milliat ◽  
...  

Radiation enteritis, a common complication of radiation therapy for abdominal and pelvic cancers, is characterized by severe transmural fibrosis associated with mesenchymal cell activation, tissue disorganization, and deposition of fibrillar collagen. To investigate the mechanisms involved in this pathological accumulation of extracellular matrix, we studied gene expression of matrix components along with that of genes involved in matrix remodeling, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs). Hybrid selection on high-density cDNA array, real-time RT-PCR, gelatin zymography and imunohistochemistry were used to characterize the mRNA expression profile, activity, and tissue location of extracellular matrix-related genes in radiation enteritis compared with healthy ileum. cDNA array analysis revealed a strong induction of genes coding for collagens I, III, IV, VI, and VIII, SPARC, and tenascin-C, extracellular-matrix degrading enzymes (MMP-1, -2, -3, -14, -18+19), and metalloproteinase inhibitors (TIMP-1, -2, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1) in radiation enteritis. This increase was correlated with the degree of infiltration of the mucosa by inflammatory cells, and the presence of differentiated mesenchymal cells in the submucosa and muscularis propria. Despite the fact that expression of collagens, MMPs, and TIMPs simultaneously increase, quantification of net collagen deposition shows an overall accumulation of collagen. Our results indicate that late radiation enteritis tissues are subjected to active process of fibrogenesis as well as fibrolysis, with a balance toward fibrogenesis. This demonstrates that established fibrotic tissue is not scarred fixed tissue but is subjected to a dynamic remodeling process.


1962 ◽  
Vol 115 (2) ◽  
pp. 289-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. R. Midgley ◽  
G. B. Pierce

Through the use of immunohistochemical techniques, human chorionic gonadotropin has been localized to syncytiotrophoblastic cells of immature placenta, hydatidiform mole, chorioadenoma destruens, and choriocarcinoma. No gonadotropin has been detected in cytotrophoblast. Evidence is discussed which suggests that syncytiotrophoblast is the cell of origin of human chorionic gonadotropin. The observation that formalin fixation did not alter the ability of human chorionic gonadotropin to react with its specific antibody permitted the study of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues stored in the tissue collection. In addition, the excellence of histologic preparations following formalin fixation facilitated cytologic identification.


2002 ◽  
Vol 166 (7) ◽  
pp. 994-997 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hajime Fukunaga ◽  
Tomoyuki Murakami ◽  
Toshikazu Gondo ◽  
Kazuo Sugi ◽  
Tokuhiro Ishihara

2011 ◽  
Vol 135 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 165-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bertrand Canard ◽  
Hortense Vachon ◽  
Thomas Fontaine ◽  
Jean-Jacques Pin ◽  
Stéphane Paul ◽  
...  

1999 ◽  
Vol 27 (16) ◽  
pp. i-iii ◽  
Author(s):  
N. J. Coombs ◽  
A. C. Gough ◽  
J. N. Primrose

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