Improving slide-based assays by stirring: application of liquid-on-liquid mixing to immunofluorescence staining of polytene chromosomes.

A new method for stirring thin liquid films has been developed and demonstrated to increase the sensitivity of immunofluorescence staining of polytene chromosomes. This liquid-on-liquid mixing (LOLM) technique uses a stirrer fluid, immiscible with the thin film, to transmit shear at the liquid-liquid interface. Here, we stir mineral oil layered over an aqueous thin film of antibody solution, which stains transcription apparatuses on chromosomes previously fixed to a glass slide. The quality of staining was assessed at varying antibody concentrations and incubation or stirring times. Our data indicate that the LOLM technique overcomes the diffusion barrier associated with traditional slide-based biological assays.