Immunofluorescence staining is a popular and extremely powerful detection method. However, achieving publication quality immunofluorescence or fluorescent antibody staining can get tricky. It’s therefore important to ensure you have the right controls for immunofluorescence.
Since immunofluorescence staining is a long process with many steps, it is always advisable to spend some time optimizing each step of the protocol before you decide to generate data from your sample material. Always keep a detailed record to ensure consistent performance as any variation will alter the reproducibility of staining.
In my experience, the first step towards getting a reproducible and quality staining is knowing that your immunofluorescence staining is specific. This article will allow you to decide the right controls for your experiment and use them to decide if your staining has worked or not.
