Teased fiber preparation of myelinated nerve fibers from peripheral nerves for vital dye staining and immunofluorescence analysis

Abstract

Glial cells regulate a wide variety of neuronal functions during physiological and pathological conditions. Therefore, the study of glial cells and their association with axons is of paramount importance in order to understand the physiology of the nervous system. This chapter describes a detailed protocol to prepare and stain teased nerve fibers from peripheral nerves using fluorescent indirect immunolabeling and staining with vital dyes. For immunofluorescence analysis, we describe techniques to study the axonal compartment and the expression of cytoplasmic and plasma membrane proteins in Schwann cells.