Protein cross-linking, chemical fixative

Specimens for light and electron microscopy are commonly fixed with a solution containing chemicals that crosslink most proteins and nucleic acids. Formaldehyde, a common fixative, cross-links amino groups on adjacent molecules these covalent bonds stabilize protein-protein and protein-nucleic acid Interactions and render the molecules... 

Cross-Linking all Cellular Protein by Chemical Fixatives. 329... 

In the preceding Sects. 3.4.1 and 3.4.2 we have described the QCM response to a disintegration of the actin cytoskeleton on the one hand and to cross-linking of all cellular protein by chemical fixatives on the other. The data implied that cell stiffness brought about by the cytoskeleton determines the acoustic response. However, the experimental means to arrive at this conclusion were rather drastic, in particular when chemical fixatives were applied. With respect to future applications of the QCM in cell biology it seems important to understand whether the technique is sensitive enough to monitor physiological alterations in cell stiffness. We therefore tested the QCM approach on an established phenomenon that has been published recently. 

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