Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-fscjk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-29T06:02:11.633Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Microwave Protocols for Plant and Animal Paraffin Microtechnique

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 March 2018

Denise Schichnes*
Affiliation:
The University of California at Berkeley, CNR Biological Imaging Facility
Jeffrey A. Nemson
Affiliation:
The University of California at Berkeley, CNR Biological Imaging Facility
Steven E. Ruzin
Affiliation:
The University of California at Berkeley, CNR Biological Imaging Facility

Extract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The microwave oven is a valuable tool for light and electron microscopy microtechnique labs. Tissue processing times, traditionally taking up to two weeks, have been reduced to a few hours as a result of the implementation of microwave technology (Kok et al., 1988, Gibberson and Demaree, 2001). In addition, the quality of the tissue preparations has improved dramatically. Microwave ovens have also evolved since their first use in the laboratory. Early experiments were conducted using relatively crude commercial microwave ovens. Now, labs use microwave ovens with temperature probes, strict control over the magnetron (which generates the microwaves), variable power supplies, chamber cooling, and high microwave field uniformity.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Microscopy Society of America 2005

References

Giberson, R.T., Demaree, R.S. Jr. eds, Microwave Techniques and Protocols. Humana Press Inc, Totowa, New Jersey.Google Scholar
Johansen, D.A. (1940) Plant Microtechnique. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc. Google Scholar
Kok, L.P., Visser, P.E., Boon, M.E. (1988) Histoprocessing with the Microwave Oven: an Update. Histological Journal 20:323328.Google Scholar
Ruzin, S.E. (1999) Plant Microtechnique and Microscopy. Oxford University Press, Cambridge.Google Scholar
Schichnes, D., Nemson, J.A., Ruzin, S.E. (2001) Microwave Paraffin Techniques for Botanical Tissues. In Giberson, R.T., Demaree, R.S. eds, Microwave Techniques and Protocols. Humana Press Inc, Totowa, New Jersey, pp 181189.Google Scholar