[Histonet] Suggestions for sectioning mouse colon

[Kinsley, David]

Hi Everyone,

I've been sectioning longitudinal sections of mouse colon and can't seem to
alleviate the "pinches" in the colon after staining.  
Here is what I've been doing;

There are 3 longitudinal strips of colon in 1 paraffin block (proximal colon
to rectum)
Section at 5um and float on water bath 48-50 degrees C
Allow sections to float for 1-2 minutes and pick up on + slides
Allow sections to dry vertically briefly in a slide rack (to allow excess
water to drain off)
Lay sections flat on a heating plate at 48-50 degrees C for 1hour
Then I place them in a staining rack and heat them in an oven at 60 degrees
C for 2 hours to overnight.
Stain with H&E

I can't seem to be able to obtain nice flat sections all of the time....they
don't really have folds, they come off the knife well and look nice and flat
prior to staining, but there are many small "pinches" alone the length of
the colon.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

David Kinsley
Schering-Plough Research Institute
Kenilworth, NJ 07033
908-740-4669



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