Anti-Fading Agents for Confocal Immunofluorescence: Colocalization of Nuclear Polypeptides

We evaluated the performance of four anti-fading agents during acquisition of multiple optical sections near the widest diameter of Drosophila accessory gland nuclei using indirect immunofluorescence and confocal laser scanning microscopy. Two commercially available agents, Vectashield® and SlowFade® showed anti-fading properties that alleviated fluorochrome fading associated with the acquisition of multiple fluorescent optical Z-series from a single specimen by a confocal laser scanning system. Using these reagents, we were able to colocalize polypeptides through immunostained whole Drosophila nuclei.