What is the difference between ProLong and SlowFade antifade reagents?
Our ProLong antifade reagents dispense as a liquid that will solidify upon the evaporation of water. SlowFade antifade reagents remain liquid. If you are going to image right away and then dispose of your sample, you do not need a mountant that hardens, such as the SlowFade reagents. If you wish to archive your slide for more than a day, you will want a mounting medium that hardens (or cures). This hardening will limit the off-rates of various dye-conjugated antibodies and provides a better refractive index. Also, there will be a lower diffusion rate of free radicals, limiting photobleaching.
Some antifade mounting media stay as liquid whereas others harden. What is the benefit of having one that hardens?
If you are going to image right away and then dispose of your sample, you probably want a mountant that does not harden. If you wish to archive your slide for more than a day, you want a mountant that hardens (or "cures"). This hardening will slow or prevent off-rate of your dye or conjugate and often produces a better refractive index. Secondary sealing is usually not necessary. Also there will be lower diffusion of free radicals, thus limiting photobleaching.
Does Slowfade Antifade Mountant require using a nail polish for sealing?
No. Samples mounted with SlowFade mountants need not be sealed; they are intended for immediate viewing. The coverslip may be anchored (to prevent movement while viewing) by applying molten paraffin to three or four spots around the edge of the coverslip.
DAPI and Hoechst dyes are quite similar to each other. Why would I choose one over the other?
DAPI is a very common blue-fluorescent dye for nuclear counterstaining and gives very bright labeling on nuclei in fixed and permeabilized cells and tissues. However, it is considered to be a semi-permeant to impermeant stain and provides inconsistent staining of live cells. Hoechst 33342 dye is cell-permeant and stains with the same binding mechanism and fluorescent color; it is preferred for live-cell imaging and is just as good as DAPI for fixed cell labeling.
Alkylation damage causes MMR-dependent chromosomal instability in vertebrate embryos.
Authors:Feitsma H, Akay A, Cuppen E,
Journal:Nucleic Acids Res
PubMed ID:18522974
'S(N)1-type alkylating agents, like N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) and N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU), are potent mutagens. Exposure to alkylating agents gives rise to O(6)-alkylguanine, a modified base that is recognized by DNA mismatch repair (MMR) proteins but is not repairable, resulting in replication fork stalling and cell death. We used a somatic mutation detection ... More
Identification of a novel signal in the cytoplasmic tail of the Na+:HCO3- cotransporter NBC1 that mediates basolateral targeting.
Authors:Li HC, Li EY, Neumeier L, Conforti L, Soleimani M,
Journal:Am J Physiol Renal Physiol
PubMed ID:17182531
'The Na(+):HCO(3)(-) cotransporter NBC1 (SLC4A4, variant A, kidney specific) is located exclusively on the basolateral membrane of epithelial cells, implying that this molecule has acquired specific signals for targeting to the basolateral membrane. A motif with the sequence QQPFLS (positions 1010-1015) in the cytoplasmic tail of NBC1 was recently demonstrated ... More
Reactive oxygen species production via NADPH oxidase mediates TGF-beta-induced cytoskeletal alterations in endothelial cells.
Authors:Hu T, Ramachandrarao SP, Siva S, Valancius C, Zhu Y, Mahadev K, Toh I, Goldstein BJ, Woolkalis M, Sharma K
Journal:Am J Physiol Renal Physiol
PubMed ID:16159901
'Cytoskeletal alterations in endothelial cells have been linked to nitric oxide generation and cell-cell interactions. Transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta has been described to affect cytoskeletal rearrangement in numerous cell types; however, the underlying pathway is unclear. In the present study, we found that human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) have ... More
Identification and characterization of small molecules that inhibit intracellular toxin transport.
Authors:Saenz JB, Doggett TA, Haslam DB
Journal:Infect Immun
PubMed ID:17576758
'Shiga toxin (Stx), cholera toxin (Ctx), and the plant toxin ricin are among several toxins that reach their intracellular destinations via a complex route. Following endocytosis, these toxins travel in a retrograde direction through the endosomal system to the trans-Golgi network, Golgi apparatus, and endoplasmic reticulum (ER). There the toxins ... More
Enhanced innate antiviral gene expression, IFN-a, and cytolytic responses are predictive of mucosal immune recovery during simian immunodeficiency virus infection.
Authors:Verhoeven D, George MD, Hu W, Dang AT, Smit-McBride Z, Reay E, Macal M, Fenton A, Sankaran-Walters S, Dandekar S,
Journal:
PubMed ID:24610016
The mucosa that lines the respiratory and gastrointestinal (GI) tracts is an important portal of entry for pathogens and provides the first line of innate immune defense against infections. Although an abundance of memory CD4(+) T cells at mucosal sites render them highly susceptible to HIV infection, the gut and ... More