A procedure for the rapid freezing of whole embryos

Summary A procedure for the rapid freezing of whole chick embryos for histochemical treatment is described. The problems of deformation during preparation for quenching and orientation for sectioning have been largely overcome by placing embryos inside lengths of chicken trachea. The subsequenct disorientation of tissues that follows cracking and shattering due to the rapid freezing of whole embryos is avoided. The method permitted a more precise identification of the position and time of appearance of formaldehyde-induced fluorescence and myosin antibody immunofluorescence in serially sectioned embryos.We gratefully thank Dr Ute Gröschel-Stewart for preparing sections for immunofluorescence.