Microscopy & Staining

Post-Lecture Quiz

1) Which staining technique is best suited to visualize two proteins of interest on the same tissue section?

(A) H&E

(B) Immunofluorescence

(C) Immunohistochemistry

(D) Periodic acid Schiff

  • (A) Circle #1 encircles the nucleus of a cell

    (B) Circle #2 encircles the nucleus of a cell

    (C) Circle #3 encircles the entire cell

  • (A) H&E – stain acidic & basic structures in the cell indiscriminately

    (B) Immunofluorescence – using secondary antibodies with different fluorescence tags, more than one protein may be tagged in a single tissue slide

    (C) Immunohistochemistry – the chromogen on the secondary antibodies turn one color (brown) thus one can’t distinguish different protein expressions in a single tissue slide

    (D) Periodic acid Schiff – this turns all carbohydrate-rich regions of the tissue magenta indiscriminately

3) Which circle in the image outlines a cell?

(A) Circle #1

(B) Circle #2

(C) Circle #3

5) Which staining technique is best suited to visualize two proteins of interest on the same tissue section?

(A) H&E (Hematoxylin & Eosin)

(B) Immunofluorescence

(C) Immunohistochemistry

(D) Periodic acid Schiff

  • (A) H&E – stain acidic & basic structures in the cell indiscriminately

    (B) Immunofluorescence – using secondary antibodies with different fluorescence tags, more than one protein may be tagged in a single tissue slide

    (C) Immunohistochemistry – the chromogen on the secondary antibodies turn one color (brown) thus one can’t distinguish different protein expressions in a single tissue slide

    (D) Periodic acid Schiff – this turns all carbohydrate-rich regions of the tissue magenta indiscriminately

7) Which step in histotechnology stops tissues from degradation?

(A) Embedding

(B) Fixation

(C) Processing

(D) Sectioning

(E) Staining

  • (A) Embedding – processed tissue is placed in a paraffin block

    (B) Fixation – fixative such as formaldehyde denatures proteins and stops tissue degradation

    (C) Processing – fat and water in the tissue are replaced with paraffin

    (D) Sectioning – tissues in paraffin block are thinly sectioned

    (E) Staining – thinly sectioned tissues are stained

2) Which circle in the image outlines a cell?

(A) Circle #1

(B) Circle #2

(C) Circle #3

  • (A) Circle #1 is a nucleus of a cell, the DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) in the nucleus stain well with hematoxylin which has blue to purple hue

    (B) Circle #2 is the cytoplasm of a large cell and is staining pink with eosin which stain positively charged, basic substances

    (C) Circle #3 is an artifact

    *The pale staining areas are rich with ground substance

4) To compare the amount of glycogen storage in the liver cells of starved vs. well-fed rats, which staining technique should be used?

(A) H&E (Hematoxylin & Eosin)

(B) Immunofluorescence

(C) Immunohistochemistry

(D) Periodic acid Schiff

  • (A) H&E – stain acidic & basic structures in the cell indiscriminately

    (B) Immunofluorescence – using secondary antibodies with different fluorescence tags, more than one protein may be tagged in a single tissue slide

    (C) Immunohistochemistry – the chromogen on the secondary antibodies turn one color (brown) thus one can’t distinguish different protein expressions in a single tissue slide

    (D) Periodic acid Schiff – this turns all carbohydrate-rich regions of the tissue magenta indiscriminately

6) Which structure is a form of ground substance?

(A) Collagen

(B) Glycosaminoglycans

(C) Reticular fibers

(D) Plasma

  • (A) Collagen - a type of fiber

    (B) Glycosaminoglycans – one form of ground substance, the others are proteoglacans, and glycoproteins

    (C) Reticular fibers are a type of fibers

    (D) Plasma is the fluid component of blood which is similar to the interstitial fluid