Polymerization Enhanced Immunofluorescent Staining

Here, we describe a novel approach towards cell and tissue staining based on polymer networks. Our approach exhibits exceptional detail of protein localization at antibody concentrations several orders of magnitude lower than typical immunofluorescent protocols. We will describe our methodology in detail as well as provide a few key results demonstrating a 3 order of magnitude reduction in antibody consumption. We will demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach in the staining of both large regions of cytoplasm and small localized protein structures on the nuclear envelope. We will also discuss characterization of the polymeric labeling system. While this approach would be effective in reducing antibody consumption in labs, it is particularly useful when paired with custom or rare antibodies.