E-Book Overview
Lorette Javois' timely new 2nd edition of Immunocytochemistry Methods revises and updates her widely acclaimed collection of step-by-step immunocytochemical methods, one that is now used in many biological and biomedical research programs. The methods are designed for researchers and clinicians who wish to visualize molecules in plant or animal embryos, tissue sections, cells, or organelles. In addition to cutting-edge protocols for purifying and preparing antibodies, light microscopic analysis, confocal microscopy, FACS, and electron microscopy, this revised edition contains many new methods for applying immunocytochemical techniques in the clinical laboratory and in combination with in situ hybridization. From Reviews of the First Edition: ":a useful, sometimes beautiful compilation of protocols and methods:" - FEBS Letters ":an extremely useful 'vade mecum' of comprehensive, detailed recipes, good advice and helpful information, spiral bound in a handy size for laboratory use. - Society for General Microbiology Quarterly"
E-Book Content
CHAPTER1
Overview of Antibody in Immunocytochemistry Su-Yau
Use
Mao, Lorette C. Javois, and Ute M. Kent
1. Introduction Immunocytochemistry, by definition, is the identification of a tissue constituent in situ by means of a specific antigen-antibody interaction where the antibody has been tagged with a visible label (I). Cell staining is a powerful method to demonstrate both the presence and subcellular location of a particular molecule of interest (2). Initial attempts to label antibodies with ordinary dyes were unsatisfactory because the label was not sufficiently visible under the microscope. A. H. Coons first introduced immunofluorescence in 1941, using specific antibodies labeled with a fluorescent dye to localize substances in tissues (3). This technique was considered difficult, and its potential