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Dear Gil

PBS is not significantly fluorescent AFAIK. If I remember correctly 
the amine group of the Tris saturates (fixation-induced) reactive 
groups on the sample which would have a tendency to form fluorescent 
moieties otherwise. So PBS doesn't induce background fluorescence, 
but TBS reduces it.
Also, Tris should be used when when alkaline phosphatase-conjugated 
antibodies are used for stainings.

Beat

At 20:34 04-08-2008, you wrote:
>Search the CONFOCAL archive at
>http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal
>
>Dear Confocalists,
>
>I have been trying to locate a paper I had read a few years ago
>regarding the use of TBS rather than PBS for IHC, since it reduces the
>level of background fluorescence associated with the PBS. Does anybody
>know what paper I am referring to?
>In addition, does anybody have any insight into whether this is
>actually true? I mean, if I do my IHC with PBS and then wash it off
>with dH20, isn't this getting rid of most of the PBS background
>fluorescence?
>
>Thanks,
>
>Gil Palchik
>
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