[Histonet] Gill sectioning tips?

[John Kiernan]

Are your specimens from cartilaginous or bony fishes? 
 
Ages ago I worked with head and "neck" specimens of quite big (10 cm) goldfishes (bony) in a study of optic nerve regeneration. Decalcification after adequate formaldehyde fixation permitted easy cutting of near-serial paraffin sections containing bone, brain and incidentally gills, skin (which has bony scales) and other entertaining things not seen in sections of small people or other little mammals. 

I don't know  how to soften really tough  cartilage.  Does anyone?
 
John Kiernan
Anatomy, UWO
London, Canada
= = =
----- Original Message -----
From: Cammi Thornton <cehickm2 <@t> olemiss.edu>
Date: Tuesday, February 9, 2010 16:05
Subject: [Histonet] Gill sectioning tips?
To: histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu

> Hi everyone,
> We have been trying to section gills lately and have come across 
> quite a few problems.  Does anybody have any helpful hints 
> for 
> fixing/sectioning gills?  We are going to try to separate 
> each 
> individual arch but the fish we use are very small so we don't 
> know 
> how that will go.
> Thanks,
> Cammi
> 
> Cammi Hickman Thornton
> Research & Development Chemist
> University of Mississippi
> School of Pharmacy
> Department of Pharmacology
> 200 Old Power Plant
> University, Mississippi 38677
> Phone - 662-915-7612, Fax - 662-915-5148 
> 
> 
> 
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