title: Colloidal gold probes in immunocytochemistry. An optimization of their application in light microscopy by use of silver intensification procedures.
abstract: Colloidal gold particles are the markers of choice for ultrastructural localization of antigens. By reducing gold chloride with tannic acid and trisodium citrate, a broad range of narrowly determined particle sizes can be obtained. Such particles can easily be coupled to a number of proteins and the resulting conjugates are conveniently purified on a gel-chromatography column. Their application in light microscopy requires an amplification step with a silver physical developer. Silver-intensified colloidal gold probes can advantageously be used for immunostaining of cryostat, paraffin and plastic sections. Moreover, permeabilized cultured cells and whole-mount preparations can also be stained with gold-silver techniques. Silver intensification does not affect reactivity of a number of tissue antigens, thus permitting double staining combinations with immunoperoxidase or immunofluorescence methods.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000941:Antigens; D006046:Gold; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D006728:Hormones / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007120:Immunochemistry; D051379:Mice; D051381:Rats; D012834:Silver; D013194:Staining and Labeling
chemical_list: D000941:Antigens; D006728:Hormones; D012834:Silver; D006046:Gold