Immunofluorescence direct/indirect staining

The methods outlined below include protocols for direct and indirect immunofluorescence staining, that can be adapted easily for the cell type of interest as indicated in the relevant notes. The principal approaches to flow cytometric analysis, standardization and calibration are then given, followed by two more detailed protocols illustrating quantitation using direct immunofluorescence, and a competitive binding assay, which demonstrates the application of linear amplification of fluorescence. 

Frozen sections, as well as sections of formaldehyde-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissues, can be used for direct or indirect immunofluorescence staining after antigen retrieval using microwave heating. Although frozen sections yield higher sensitivity than that obtained with paraffin sections, the latter approach is necessary for retrospective studies of archival specimens. Moreover, fresh tissue is not always available. 

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