Antigen Retrieval Trial for Post-embedding Immunoelectron Microscopy by Heating with Several Unmasking Solutions

A novel antigen retrieval procedure was carried out in the post-embedding immunogold electron microscopy method to improve the stainability of the samples. This was done by weakly fixing cultured Helicobacter pylori (ATCC43504) and embedding in Lowicryl K4M. Before staining with the anti- H. pylori antibody, the ultrathin sections were mounted on a nickel grid and heated at 121C for 15 min, 99C for 40 min, and 65C for 24 hr in distilled water, 0.1 M phosphate buffer (pH 7.4), 0.01 M EDTA (pH 7.2), 0.05 M Tris buffer (pH 10.0), 0.8 M urea (pH 7.2), 0.01 M citric acid (pH 6.0), or a commercially available target unmasking fluid (S1699; pH 6.0). Antigen retrieval in the Tris buffer solution generally showed better stainability than the classical post-embedding method without any antigen retrieval. At 65C for 24 hr, better stainability of the ultrasections was observed for each of the solutions used except for the phosphate buffer compared to the control. We suggest that the antigen retrieval method should be applied for routine use even by in postembedding immunogold electron microscopy.

Electron Microscopic Immunogold Localization of Salivary Mucins MG1 and MG2 in Human Submandibular and Sublingual Glands

The human salivary mucins MG1 and MG2 are well characterized biochemically and functionally. However, there is disagreement regarding their cellular and glandular sources. The aim of this study was to define the localization and distribution of these two mucins in human salivary glands using a postembedding immunogold labeling method. Normal salivary glands obtained at surgery were fixed in 3% paraformaldehyde-0.1% glutaraldehyde and embedded in Lowicryl K4M or LR Gold resin. Thin sections were labeled with rabbit antibodies to MG1 or to an N-terminal synthetic peptide of MG2, followed by gold-labeled goat anti-rabbit IgG. The granules of all mucous cells of the submandibular and sublingual glands were intensely reactive with anti-MG1. No reaction was detected in serous cells. With anti-MG2, the granules of both mucous and serous cells showed reactivity. The labeling was variable in both cell types, with mucous cells exhibiting a stronger reaction in some glands and serous cells in others. In serous granules, the electron-lucent regions were more reactive than the dense cores. Intercalated duct cells near the acini displayed both MG1 and MG2 reactivity in their apical granules. In addition, the basal and lateral membranes of intercalated duct cells were labeled with anti-MG2. These results confirm those of earlier studies on MG1 localization in mucous cells and suggest that MG2 is produced by both mucous and serous cells. They also indicate differences in protein expression patterns among salivary serous cells.

Immunoelectron Microscopy of Keratinocytes: an Improved Protocol for Flat Embedding of Cultured Cells Using Lowicryl K4M

In cell culture models various and distinct manipulations can be performed in a defined environment. This makes cell cultures very popular for immunohistochemical studies. Such studies are mostly performed at the light microscopic level where fluorescent probes and confocal microscopy provide detailed insights into the distribution and localization of antigens inside cells. In many such cases further studies at the electron microscopic level would give additional information and an often more detailed view. As compared to light microscopy not only is the resolution much higher, but also and even more importantly labeling information is completed with a wealth of cytological details.This said it is surprising that studies on cell cultures using immunoelectron microscopy are rarely seen. Even more rare are reports in which monolayer cells are fixed and processed in situ without prior trypsinization. Such studies are essential though when cytoarchitecture is of importance or especially when cell-cell adhesion is an issue.

HACH: A Polymer Designed to Optimize Protein Antigen Localization

The purpose of this study was to determine whether a polymer could be formed from relatively innocuous monomeric ingredients and, if so, if it might serve as a suitable embedding medium for maximizing antigen retention. Such a polymer, HACH, was made up from a mixture of 2-hydroxyhexanedial and carbohydrazide. It polymerized spontaneously at room temperature within 24 hr. Preservation of protein antigenicity and subsequent immunocytochemical localization were demonstrated by three methods. To determine whether protein antigens were retained up to the polymerization stage, we studied hemoagglutination of red blood cells using antibodies directed against their protein antigens. In these trials, HACH-treated cells exhibited the same agglutination responses as control, untreated cells. Second, a guinea pig antibody was used to immunodecorate insulin in β cells of the islets of Langerhans. The number of gold particles, indicating sites where the antibody was bound, was several-fold greater in HACH- than in Lowicryl K4M-embedded pancreatic β cells. To assess the limit of detection of protein antigens in thin sections, an example of a protein present in mitochondria, lipoamide dehydrogenase, was also studied. An indirect procedure for immunodecoration, employing rabbit immunoglobulin G followed by gold-tagged secondary antibody, indicated that the enzyme was present at several sites within cross-sectioned mitochondria. The results suggest that the HACH polymer will be useful for the localization of antigens that are present in relatively few copies.

Desmosomal Disorganization and Epidermal Abnormalities in a Transgenic Mouse Expressing Mutant Desmoglein-3.

Desmosomes are special adhesion structures connecting epithelial cells. The formation of desmosome plaques requires the participation of multiple molecules including desmoplakin (DP), plakoglobin (PG), desmocollins (DSC), and desmogleins (Dsg). It is known that Dsg has functional domains involved in cell-cell adhesions and plaque-cytoskeleton interactions. Functional modulation of Dsg is known to be related to some skin disorders exhibiting desmosome abnormalities. To better understand the role of Dsg 3 in the assembly of epidermal desmosomes and its possible relation to cutaneous disorders, we generated a transgenic mouse model which, driven by a keratin 14 promoter, expressed high levels of a truncated Dsg 3, Dsg3ΔN, in the lower epidermal keratinocytes.Skin samples of different body sites were collected, at different ages, from both control mouse and mutant animals exhibiting phenotypic skin changes for histology, immunohistochemistry, and ultrastrucutral studies. Specimens for conventional TEM studies were fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde and 2.5% glutaraldehyde, post-fixed in 1% OsO4, and embedded in LX-112. For immunoelectron microscopy, samples were fixed in 2% paraformaldehyde and 0.05% glutaraldehyde, dehydrated in ethanol at -25°C, embedded in Lowicryl K4M medium, and polymerized at -25°C with UV light. Ultrathin sections were labeled with several antibodies against DP, PG, DSC, and E-cadherin. All sections were stained with uranyl acetate and lead citrate before examining with a JEOL-CX microscopy operated at 60 kv.

Quantitative and morphological aspects of Unicryl versus Lowicryl K4M embedding in immunoelectron microscopic studies.

In this study we compared the recently commercialized electron microscopy embedding resin Unicryl with the well-known resin Lowicryl K4M with regard to morphological and immunohistochemical preservation properties. The standard embedding procedure recommended by the manufacturer for the use of Unicryl resulted in considerable morphological alterations of the tissue, with the appearance of large gaps in and between the cells of the examined tissue. Morphometric analysis pointed to a swelling of the extracellular matrix as the main cause of these morphological artifacts. A slight modification in the protocol to correct this artifact is proposed and tested. Immunohistochemically, tissue embedded in Unicryl resulted in a significantly stronger immunogold labeling than identical tissue embedded in Lowicryl K4M. From the results of this technical study, it can be concluded that Unicryl embedding is a valuable new tool to supplement the available techniques for immunoelectron microscopic studies.

Mapping of nucleoporins to the center of the nuclear pore complex by post-embedding immunogold electron microscopy

Ultrathin sections of Lowicryl K4M embedded cultured 3T3 cells, human keratinocytes and mouse/rat liver tissue were incubated with polyspecific primary antibodies against p62 and other nucleoporins followed by 10 nm gold labeled secondary antibodies. By quantitatively evaluating both cross sections and tangential sections of the NPC, we found that irrespective of the cell type antibodies predominantly bound within a radius of 25 nm around the central axis of the nuclear pore complex (NPC). Superposition of a current structural model of the NPC with the nucleoporin distribution observed by us showed that nucleoporins mapped predominatly to the controversely discussed ‘central granule’. Our experimental approach was verified by mapping gp210, another nuclear pore protein, at or very close to the NPC in the perinuclear cisterna thus establishing a distribution pattern completely different from that of the nucleoporins.