Heat-induced antigen retrieval mechanism

Yamashita S. Heat-induced antigen retrieval mechanisms and application to histochemistry. Prog. Histochem. Cytochem. 2007 41 141-200. 

Yamashita S, Okada Y. Mechanisms of heat-induced antigen retrieval analyses in vitro employing SDS-PAGE and immunohistochemistry. J. Histochem. Cytochem. 2005 53 13-21. 

In 1991 Shi et al. published their seminal observation that high-temperature incubation of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue sections in buffers for short periods led to improved immunohistochemical staining.1 However, more than 15 years later, heat-induced antigen retrieval (AR) remains largely an empirical procedure, requiring the optimization of several critical parameters by trial and error.2,3 Further improvements in AR will require an in-depth understanding of the chemistry of formaldehyde fixation and the molecular mechanism(s) underlying the AR method. 

Kakimoto K, Takekoshi S, Miyajima K, et al. Hypothesis for the mechanism for heat-induced antigen retrieval occurring on fresh frozen sections without formalin-fixation in immunohistochemistry. J. Mol. Histol. 2008 39 389-399. 

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