Dear All,

Dr LP Barker recently asked:
>Does anybody know if it is possible to quench
>autoflourescence in flourescence microscopy by trypan blue or by other
>means???

        I regularly quench autofluorescence in my samples of wood with a
dilute solution of toluidine blue, 0.01%(w/v) in PBS (phosphate-buffered
saline).  It seems to work for me, for epifluorescence and CSLM, using
FITC-labelled anti-tubulin and F-actin (see Chaffey et al., 1997, J.
Microsc. 187, 77-84).  Although quenching in my material is not complete,
it is reduced to 'tolerable levels'.  The source reference I have for this
is: Smith MM, McCully ME, 1978, Stain Technol. 53, 79-85.

        Hope this is of help/interest.

        With best wishes,


        Nigel Chaffey

-----------------------------------------------------
Dr Nigel Chaffey,
Dept Forest Genetics & Plant Physiology,
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences,
S-901 83 Umeå,
Sweden
Phone: +46-90-786-6305
Fax: +46-90-786-5901
eMail: [log in to unmask]

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