The use of tannic acid fixation for the electron microscope visualization of fluorochrome-labelled antibodies attached to cell surface antigens.
Tannic acid as a prefixative for EM purposes was introduced by Futaesaku et al. (1972). The fixative creates conditions for enhancing electron density of different protein materials. By using a mixture of tannic acid and glutaraldehyde as prefixative, followed by a routine procedure of postfixation (OsO4) and poststaining (uranylacetate and lead citrate), membrane bound antibodies not conjugated with electron dense markers are made visible under the electron microscope.
D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies; D000954:Antigens, Surface; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005260:Female; D005404:Fixatives / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000378:metabolism; D047348:Hydrolyzable Tannins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007106:Immune Sera / Q000494:pharmacology; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins / Q000276:immunology; D011817:Rabbits; D011947:Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell; D011975:Receptors, Mitogen; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D013634:Tannins / Q000494:pharmacology*
D000906:Antibodies; D000954:Antigens, Surface; D005404:Fixatives; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D047348:Hydrolyzable Tannins; D007106:Immune Sera; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins; D011947:Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell; D011975:Receptors, Mitogen; D013634:Tannins