I have cells but the Flow Cytometry machine was not working and will be sent for servicing. So, I was thinking whether can I store PFA-fixed cells in certain condition till the machine is back. Any ideas? Thanks a lot in advance.
You should be able to store them for a while, but make sure you do not loose the fluorophores in them. Ideal way is to protect it from light using aluminum wrap or something else at 4deg C in refrigerator. I usually store all my cells after analysis to check the back the obtained results just in case if it needs any further clarifications.
As the others told you: Dark and 4°C. I have stored mine in emergencies like yours for up to 1 week. All fluorophores where FITC, PE, Etc. For fusion proteins I have only bad experience after 2 days of storage. Good luck and happy New year for you too.
Agree. Dark and 4ºC. 1% PFA in PBS should do. The only fluorochromes that would work are FITC and PE. PerCP is less stable and you will loose the tandem dyes fluorescence in less than 24h.
As mentioned above, 4° in the dark in PBS with a small amount of protein (1- 2% BSA or something similar). I would not leave the cells in 1% PFA because, as has been noted above, that will destroy many of your fluorophores and there isn't an advantage I'm aware of to maintaining the cells in fixative after they're already fixed. If we need to fix samples for analysis later, we generally fix for 1 hour in 4% PFA and then store the cells in PBS + 2% BSA (containing 0.1% azide to prevent contamination). We've successfully analyzed samples up to 5 days after fixation that way. This works for microscopy, as well.
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