[Histonet] Sirius red - staining specificity

[Pritchard, Michele]

Hello:

 

Recently, I have used Sirius red (using the Kiernan Method found in
Histological and Histochemical Methods, 4th Ed. Scion Publishing Ltd.
2008) to localize collagen fibers in livers of mice exposed to carbon
tetrachloride over 5 weeks.  Unfortunately, I do not have the capability
to examine my slides using circular polarizing light microscopy at
present, so I cannot determine at the present time whether or not the
staining I observe is that of fibrillar collagens or not.  

 

I have a question:  Is Sirius red (using the above method) able to stain
laminin fibers?  These data have lead me to develop some exciting, new
hypotheses, so I have not yet had the time to research laminin
biochemistry to try to answer this question myself.

 

In case you are interested in a bit more background info read the
following:

 

My slides show remarkable differences in Sirius red staining depending
on from which of my experimental groups the sections came.
Specifically, I have noted a peculiarly diffuse Sirius red staining in
livers of my carbon tetrachloride-exposed knockout mice while my carbon
tetrachloride-exposed wild type mice have 'normal' Sirius red staining.
Because of a series of other assays I have performed on these livers
(except laminin IHC... I was trying to avoid optimizing a new stain
before I had sufficient reason to do so), I suspect that the at much of
the diffuse Sirius red staining I have observed in my knockout mice may
reflect the presence of more laminin than collagen in the fibrotic
livers from knockout mice, and therefore, may explain the odd pattern of
ECM deposition.

 

Any thoughts?

 

I thank you, in advance, for your expert advice.

 

-->mtp

 

Michele T. Pritchard, Ph.D.

Research Associate-Staff

Nagy Laboratory

Department of Pathobiology/NE40

Lerner Research Institute

Cleveland Clinic

9500 Euclid Avenue

Cleveland, OH 44195

 

phone:  216.444.8613

fax:  216.636.1493

 

email:  pritchm <@t> ccf.org

 

Lab location:

Lerner Research Institute

NE4-214

 


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