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Plant Microtechniques and Protocols pp 23–43Cite as

Chemical and Physical Fixation of Cells and Tissues: An Overview

Abstract

Fixation is the essential first step in preserving cellular structures with the goal of keeping them as “lifelike” as possible. Two methods are normally used to “fix” biological specimens: chemical and physical fixation. Chemical fixation is the most common approach in specimen preservation. Tissues are immersed in a fixative that kills and stabilizes the cell contents. Physical fixation can include microwaving and cryopreserving samples to rapidly inactivate cellular activity. Chemical and physical fixation methods each have their own merits and limitations. This chapter provides a general overview of the chemical and physical fixation of cells and tissues. Practical issues on plant fixation methods are discussed.

Keywords

  • Chemical fixation
  • Cryofixation
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Microwave fixation
  • Physical fixation

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Professor Jeffrey L. Salisbury at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Microscopy and Cell Analysis Core Facility in Mayo Clinic for critical reading and editing of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Basic Research in Digestive Disease, Mayo Clinic, 17th Floor Guggenheim Building, 200 1st Street SW, 55905, Rochester, Minnesota, USA

    Bing Quan Huang

  2. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, T2N 1N4, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

    Edward C. Yeung

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  1. Bing Quan Huang
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Correspondence to Bing Quan Huang .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, CALGARY, Alberta, Canada

    Edward Chee Tak Yeung

  2. Department of Plant Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

    Claudio Stasolla

  3. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

    Michael John Sumner

  4. Center for Basic Research in Digestive Disease, Mayo Clinic , Rochester, Minnesota, USA

    Bing Quan Huang

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Huang, B., Yeung, E. (2015). Chemical and Physical Fixation of Cells and Tissues: An Overview. In: Yeung, E., Stasolla, C., Sumner, M., Huang, B. (eds) Plant Microtechniques and Protocols. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-19944-3_2

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