So I'm working with mouse spinal cords and sometimes the sections are curled/rolled after being sectioned/IHC. It doesn't happen to every batch processed but a good portion do. What would cause that? The tight curling makes it extremely difficult to slide mount. Is it the perfusion? sectioning? iHC protocol? I don't know where to begin troubleshooting.
Here is my current protocol:
The animals are perfused and fixed using 4% para, the lumbar region is removed and placed in a vial of 4% para for one hour. Athens cords are then transferred to a 30% sucrose solution for 3 days then sectioned on a Lecia cryostat at 40micrometers. Sections are placed in cryoprotectant for short term storage for IHCs.
Any assistance would be much appreciated.