Staining Flashcards
What is the Direct staining method?
A labeled Ab of known specificity is used to identify Ag in patient tissue.
What is the Indirect staining method?
The patient’s serum is added to tissue sections containing known Ag to test the patient for the presence of Ab to those Ag. The patient’s serum can also be added to bacteria.
What is the Unlabeled/ Soluble Enzyme Immune Complex method?
A 3 step method involving a primary Ab, secondary Ab and a soluble enzyme-antienzyme complex.
What is the Avidin-biotin complex (ABC) method?
The primary Ab is followed by a secondary biotinylated Ab which bond irreversibly to Avidin and forms a complex.
What are three main benefits of the ABC method?
- There is low background staining
- Sensitivity can be up to 40X other immunoperoxidase methods
- Ab may be used at higher dilutions than in other methods.
What is polymeric detection?
The “gold standard” of IHC staining in which either a single strand (monomeric) or multiple strand (polymeric) molecules are fused with the secondary Ab which eliminates the need for ABC or patient serum. We did this in Vancouver.
Which detection system works better: monomeric or polymeric?
Monomeric, because there is increased sensitivity and Ab binding site penetration with single strand molecules. Turnaround time is also decreased.
What is the general procedure for polymeric detection?
Ab-polymer-chromogen.
What neoplasm does BCL2 test for?
Follicular lymphoma.
What neoplasm does CD117 test for?
Gastrointestinal stromal tumor.
What neoplasm does CD15 test for?
Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
What neoplasm does CD20 test for?
B cell lymphoma.
What neoplasm does CD3 test for?
T cell lymphoma.
What neoplasm does CK20 test for?
Colon carcinoma.
What neoplasm does Cytokeratin (Pankeratin) test for?
Carcinoma in general.
What neoplasm does Desmin test for?
Leiomyoma (smooth muscle tumor, common in uterus).
What neoplasm does ER test for?
Breast carcinoma.
What neoplasm does Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP) test for?
Glioblastoma multiforme.
What neoplasm does Gross Cystic Disease Fluid Protein (GCDFP-15) test for?
Breast ductal carcinoma.
What neoplasm does HER2 test for?
Breast carcinoma.
What neoplasm does HMB-45 test for?
Melanoma.
What neoplasm does CD45 test for?
Lymphoma.
What is another term for CD45?
Leukocyte common Ag.
What neoplasm does Melan-A test for?
Melanoma.
What neoplasm does PR test for?
Breast ductal carcinoma.
What neoplasm does S100 test for?
Schwannoma.
What neoplasm does Thyroid Transcription Factor (TTF1) test for?
Lung adenocarcinoma.
What neoplasm does Vimentin test for?
Seminoma or overfixation of tissue.
T/F: Precut control slides may be stored at room temperature indefinitely.
False, storing them at room temp is not as good as in the fridge.
T/F: The procedure for staining cytology smears is the same as for routine slides.
False, each different type of slide must have its own protocol on the stainer.
In the bloody areas of a tissue section stained with the immunoperoxidase technique, there is a marked reaction with RBCs. What happened?
There was a failure to use hydrogen peroxide, it is crucial if the tissue contains many RBCs.
Paraffin sections stained with the immunoperoxidase technique show excessive background staining. What happened?
The nonimmune serum was not applied. If the first protein solution applied to the tissue is the primary Ab, nonspecific binding can occur.
The skin control section for S100 was stained with the immunoalkaline phosphatase technique using fast red TR as the chromogen. It shows negative staining. What happened?
The sections were accidentally dehydrated and cleared and caused the chromogen to break down.
What is “Quenching”?
The blocking of naturally occurring excess endogenous enzyme found within a cell prior to IHC staining. Ex. in RBCs causing excessive background staining.
When is “Quenching” performed?
At the beginning of the procedure, after deparaffinization and heat is applied for most Ag.
What is the most notable exception to the “usual” Quenching protocol?
CD34, because it will be dissolved by the hydrogen peroxide during quenching so it needs to be applied in between the primary and secondary Ab.
What is the purpose of a primary Ab?
It is a large protein (Ab) that binds to other proteins in the patient tissue (Ag).
What is the purpose of a secondary Ab?
Secondary Ab bind to the primary Ab and become conjugated into a complex such as the ABC.