A rapid and nondestructive protocol for whole-mount bone staining of small fish and Xenopus.

ABSTRACT: Here we propose a new protocol for whole-mount bone staining, which allows the rapid preparation of highly cleared and nondestructive specimens. It only takes 3 days to complete whole procedure for small vertebrates, such as medaka, zebrafish, and Xenopus frogs. In this procedure, we used a newly developed fixative containing formalin, Triton X-100, and potassium hydroxide, which allows the fixation, decolorization, and transparentization of specimens at the same time. A bone staining solution containing alizarin red S with ethylene glycol and a clearing solution containing Tween 20 and potassium hydroxide also contributed the specificity and swiftness of this new system. As expected, although details of the skeletal system could be observed in specimens with high transparency, it was note

SUBMITTER: Sakata-Haga H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5945591 | biostudies-literature | 2018 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature