A Day in the Lab: Microscopic Exploration of Muscle Biopsies

✍️ Author: Dr Eleni Christoforidou

🕒 Approximate reading time: 2 minutes

Today, our lab adventure involves muscle biopsies, specifically those from the feet. After undergoing an immunostaining process with fluorescent antibodies, these minute biopsies are mounted on microscope slides. The aim of this process is to highlight the neuromuscular junctions, where a neuron interacts with a muscle, instructing it to either contract or relax.

Timelapse: Mounting muscle biopsies onto microscope slides.

Post-immunostaining, these muscle samples are situated onto microscope slides, preparing them for examination using confocal microscopy. The purpose of this analysis is to ascertain whether a genetic anomaly in the motor neurons impacts the development of these neuromuscular junctions.

The image below offers an example of how these samples appear when scrutinised under the microscope.

The neuromuscular junctions are shown in red and the neurons are shown in green.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog post is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered as a substitute for professional advice. While the author holds a PhD in Neuroscience and has extensive experience in the field, the content of this post may not be fully exhaustive or up-to-date, and in-text citations or a bibliography are not always provided. Readers are encouraged to consult relevant primary research articles, textbooks, and other reliable sources for comprehensive information on the topic. The author is not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for any actions taken based on the information provided in this post.

Published 17 Mar 2022