Microwave-Assisted Immunoelectron Microscopy of Skin: Localization of Laminin, Type IV Collagen, and Bullous Pemphigoid Antigen

Chemical (chem) fixatives and conventional fixation times, used for standardized preservation of tissues, can result in serious alterations to morphology, as a consequence of solubilization and conformational changes of proteins and lipids (
Login and Dvorak, 1985
). These untoward changes typically result in compromised antigenicity of many tissue proteins and loss of enzyme specificity. Microwave energy (MWE), used in conjunction with, or as an alternative to, routine chem processing, is gaining increasing support for use in diagnostic and investigative laboratories. With MWE processing, tissue antigens can be rapidly and distinctly better preserved, antigen retrieval made more replicate, and histochem and immunochem reactions made ultrafast (
van Vlijmen-Willems and van Erp, 1993
). These desirous applications, used in concert now with dedicated lab MW ovens, make the biotechnology of MWE a valuable addition to diagnostic immunoelectron microscopy (IEM).