University of Rochester Medical Center
SearchDirectoryNewsEventsStrong HealthURMC Home
EM Imaging Home

About EM Imaging

Techniques
Routine Processing

Morphometric Processing and Image Analysis

Immunoelectron Microscopy

Negative Staining Electron Microscopy

Subcellular Fraction Electron Microscopy

"Pop-Off" Technique

Color High-Res Plastic Sections


Fee and Time Schedule

Request Form
Research Cores
Electron Microscope Imaging Core Facility

Techniques

Color High Resolution (2.5 Um) Plastic Sections Utilizing Basic Fuchsin and Methylene Blue as a Hematoxylin & Eosin (H & E) Like Stain and Trichrome-Like Stain

This colorful plastic section technique allows the investigator to examine large tissue blocks (1.0 x 1.0 x 0.2 cm) which are processed and embedded in Spurr epoxy resin for 2.5 um plastic sectioning using a JB-4 microtome. The sections are attached to glass slides and stained sequentially with methylene blue and basic fuchsin and coverslipped. The result is a brilliant H & E-like staining of the nuclear and cytoplasmic elements with a Trichrome-like stain. Listed below are the various cellular components in tissues that can be identified by this unique plastic section staining technique. Specific areas or cells can also be "popped off" these stained sections for ultrastructural examination.

Cellular Component Stain Color . Cellular Component Stain Color
collagen turquoise blue elastin brilliant red-purple
glycogen blue lipid olive green
myelin dark purple intestinal mucin pink to purple
gastric mucin gray purple mast cell granules purple
lipofucsin green-black melanin mahogany
basement membrane pink    

Ref: di Sant'Agnese, P.A. and de Mesy Jensen, K.L.: Dibasic staining of large epoxy tissue sections and applications to surgical pathology. Amer. J. Clin. Pathol. 81:25, 1984.

--------

©Copyright University of Rochester Medical Center, 1999-2006. Disclaimer. For questions or suggestions concerning the content of these pages, contact the URMC Webmaster.