AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE USE OF PROTEIN CROSS-LINKING AGENTS AS CELLFIXATIVES FOR CONFOCAL MICROSCOPY

A variety of compounds which are known to cross-link proteins have bee n tested as possible cell fixatives for confocal microscopy. The crite ria for good fixation that were used for this work: were that the fixa tive should make the cells resistant to lysis and the loss of protein from the cell under hypotonic conditions. In addition, fixation should not change the shape nor the volume of the cell. Of the compounds tes ted, one compound, EDC, appeared to have an excellent potential as a c ell fixative and has the additional advantage that it does not require amino groups for its crosslinking activity. Another compound, SPDP, a ppeared to have some potential as a readily reversible fixative by vir tue of its disulfide bridge.