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Localization of cardiac gap junctions in rat ventricle by site-directed antibodies and laser scanning confocal microscopy technology (CAT#: STEM-MIT-0158-LJX)

Introduction

Antibodies were raised to three synthetic peptides, each constructed to match a different cytoplasmic region of the 43kD protein of the cardiac gap junction. These antibodies have all been used for immunohistochemical localization of gap junctions in the rat ventricle. Each is shown to have different staining characteristics which provide supporting evidence for the model proposed for the configuration of the gap junction protein within the membrane. Laser scanning confocal microscopy has confirmed that the localization of ventricular myocyte gap junctions is solely within intercalated disks. This technique is demonstrated to provide a greater overview of the three dimensional arrangement of the junctions than other microscopical techniques. Larger gap junctions occur typically at the periphery of the disk, with smaller junctions situated in the central zone. The analysis of the number and distribution of gap junctions over large volumes of myocardial tissue (three-dimensional tomography) is now feasible with this approach, and may be used to delineate conduction pathways.




Principle

Laser scanning confocal microscope is a high-tech microscope. It is based on fluorescence microscope imaging and equipped with a laser scanning device, which uses ultraviolet or visible light to excite the fluorescence probe, thereby obtaining fluorescence images of the internal microstructure of cells or tissues.
The laser beam is used as the light source in the laser scanning confocal microscope. The laser beam passes through the illuminating pinhole and is reflected to the objective lens through the spectroscope. The laser beam is focused on the sample, and every point on the focal plane of the specimen is scanned. If there is a fluorescent substance that can be excited in the tissue sample, the fluorescence emitted after excitation is directly reversed back to the spectroscope through the original incident light path, and is first focused when passing through the detection pinhole. The focused light is detected and collected by the photomultiplier tube (PMT), and the signal is sent to the computer, and the image is displayed on the computer monitor after processing.

Applications

Imaging and analysis in the fields of morphology, molecular cell biology, neuroscience, pharmacology, genetics

Procedure

1. Sampling
2. Preparation of slices
3. Staining (Select according to the specific experimental situation)
4. Observation

Materials

• Sample Type:
Rat heart

Notes

Operate in strict accordance with the operating procedures, and shall not arbitrarily change the operating procedures
In the starting sequence of the switch and in the scanning process, try to do fast and orderly, to protect the laser