Advantages of detecting monoclonal antibody binding to tissue sections with biotin and avidin reagents in Coplin jars

Abstract

We describe a method of biotin/avidin-peroxidase detection using second and third stage reagents in Coplin jars. This method allows a large quantity of sections to be stained simultaneously with a minimal amount of technical time involved. A wide range of mouse monoclonal antibodies of varying specificities and isotypes were used to stain both frozen and paraffin-embedded sections of various normal and neoplastic tissues. Three different biotinylated anti-mouse antibodies were tested, including F(ab')2 antibody fragments of one, followed by horseradish peroxidase conjugated avidin. All monoclonal antibodies employed gave good staining, using incubation times of 30-50 minutes. The staining was done during a mean period of 25 to 27 days with an average staining load of 500 sections per Coplin jar.