Table 2. Summary of the immunofluorescence quality analysis. A qualitative as well as the two quantitative characteristics are listed (1) to describe the specificity of the stain, (2) to estimate the signal intensity obtained from the staining protocol described by the SNB ratio and (3) to rate the homogeneity of the antibody stain described by the R-value of the similarity of the intensity profiles to the DAPI stain. Stain specificity: Green indicates that the stain for microtubules shows the spindle apparatus during mitosis and that β-catenin is located at the cell periphery. Signal intensity: Green indicates a ratio above 60, orange indicates ratios between 30 and 60 and white is used for a ratio below 30. Signal homogeneity: Green indicates above 0.75, orange indicates between 0.55 and 0.74 and, white is used for values below 0.54.

			stain specificity	signal intensity	signal homogeneity
PFA-Triton-4°C	o.n.	α-tubulin	yes	19.40	0.568
PFA-Triton-4°C	o.n.	β-catenin	yes	60.63	0.501
PFA-Triton-37°C	4 hours	α-tubulin	yes	62.41	0.823
PFA-Triton-37°C	o.n.	α-tubulin	yes	81.75	0.797
PFA-Triton-37°C	4 hours	β-catenin	yes	137.10	0.633
PFA-Triton-37°C	o.n.	β-catenin	yes	274.58	0.433
PFA-EtOH-37°C	4 hours	α-tubulin	yes	25.86	0.706
PFA-EtOH-37°C	o.n.	α-tubulin	yes	50.71	0.589
PFA-EtOH-37°C	4 hours	β-catenin	yes	71.23	0.559
PFA-EtOH-37°C	o.n.	β-catenin	yes	187.75	0.488
PFA-MetOH-37°C	4 hours	α-tubulin	yes	25.22	0.762
PFA-MetOH-37°C	o.n.	α-tubulin	no	50.92	0.857
PFA-MetOH-37°C	4 hours	β-catenin	yes	107.27	0.435
PFA-MetOH-37°C	o.n.	β-catenin	yes	119.76	0.713
MetOH-Ac-37°C	4 hours	α-tubulin	no	15.13	0.956
MetOH-Ac-37°C	o.n.	α-tubulin	no	22.69	0.876
MetOH-Ac-37°C	4 hours	β-catenin	yes	33.52	0.870
MetOH-Ac-37°C	o.n.	β-catenin	yes	106.41	0.709
EtOH-37°C	4 hours	α-tubulin	no	36.30	0.947
EtOH-37°C	o.n.	α-tubulin	no	109.37	0.884
EtOH-37°C	4 hours	β-catenin	yes	113.56	0.875
EtOH-37°C	o.n.	β-catenin	yes	260.54	0.846

Ac: acetone, EtOH: ethanol, MetOH: methanol, o.n.: overnight.