Table 4. .
Effects of various fixatives on in situ detection of ERα mRNA in frozen sections of monkey uterus
| Fixative | ERα mRNA signal | |
|---|---|---|
| Glandular epithelial cells | Myometrium | |
| Fresh frozen | ||
| 4% PFA (4°C, 10 min) | + | + |
| 4% PFA (RT, 10 min) | ++ | ++ |
| 4% PFA (RT, 20–30 min) | +++ | +++ |
| Acetone (−80°C, 4 days) | − | − |
| Acetone (−80°C, 1 day) | +++ | +++ |
| Ethanol/acetic acid (3:1) | + | + |
| Pe-fixed frozen | ||
| 4% PFA (4°C, 3–4 hrs) | +++ | − |
Fresh frozen sections of monkey uterus were fixed in 4% PFA in PBS (pH 7.4), acetone or ethanol/acetic acid. In the pre-fixed frozen sections, the uterus was fixed in 4% PFA in PBS (pH 7.4), treated with 30% (w/v) sucrose and then frozen, according to our previous paper [16]. RT; room temperature. Rating scale: −, negative; +, weak; ++, definite; +++, intense.