A Procedure for Mouse Dorsal Root Ganglion Cryosectioning

High-quality mouse dorsal root ganglion (DRG) cryostat sections are crucial for proper immunochemistry staining and RNAscope studies in the research of inflammatory and neuropathic pain, itch, as well as other peripheral neurological conditions. However, it remains a challenge to consistently obtain high-quality, intact, and flat cryostat sections onto glass slides because of the tiny sample size of the DRG tissue. So far, there is no article describing an optimal protocol for DRG cryosectioning. This protocol presents a step-by-step method to resolve the frequently encountered difficulties associated with DRG cryosectioning. The presented article explains how to remove the surrounding liquid from the DRG tissue samples, place the DRG sections on the slide facing the same orientation, and flatten the sections on the glass slide without curving up. Although this protocol has been developed for cryosectioning the DRG samples, it can be applied for the cryosectioning of many other tissues with a small sample size.

Automated summary

High-quality mouse dorsal root ganglion cryostat sections are essential for studying inflammatory and neuropathic pain, itch, and other peripheral neurological conditions. Obtaining consistent high-quality, intact, and flat cryostat sections onto glass slides poses a challenge due to the small sample size of the DRG tissue. This article presents a protocol addressing the difficulties associated with DRG cryosectioning, including the removal of surrounding liquid, proper orientation of the sections on the slide, and flat sectioning without curling. This protocol can also be applied to cryosectioning other tissues with a small sample size.