Sample Preparation
In order for a sample to be suitable for fluorescence microscopy it must be fluorescent. There are several methods of creating a fluorescent sample; the main techniques are labelling with fluorescent stains or, in the case of biological samples, expression of a fluorescent protein. Alternatively the intrinsic fluorescence of a sample (i.e., autofluorescence) can be used. In the life sciences fluorescence microscopy is a powerful tool which allows the specific and sensitive staining of a specimen in order to detect the distribution of proteins or other molecules of interest. As a result there is a diverse range of techniques for fluorescent staining of biological samples.
Read more about this topic: Fluorescence Microscope
Famous quotes containing the words sample and/or preparation:
“All that a city will ever allow you is an angle on itan oblique, indirect sample of what it contains, or what passes through it; a point of view.”
—Peter Conrad (b. 1948)
“With memory set smarting like a reopened wound, a mans past is not simply a dead history, an outworn preparation of the present: it is not a repented error shaken loose from the life: it is a still quivering part of himself, bringing shudders and bitter flavours and the tinglings of a merited shame.”
—George Eliot [Mary Ann (or Marian)