Tissue clearing and three-dimensional imaging of intact tissues: a review on FACT protocol

ABSTRACT

FACT is a developed technique for clearing tissues that does not use acrylamide. Since the removal of lipids is crucial for transparency and efficient antibody staining throughout the tissue, especially for microscopy and imaging, it is a harmful process that can cause the loss of important biological molecules such as proteins. The FACT technique overcomes this by chemically bonding the membrane and intracellular proteins with the extracellular matrix, creating a massive 3D hydrogel matrix and providing structural support to fortify the tissue during processing. Compared to other acrylamide-based techniques, the FACT technique requires less labor and harmful chemicals and is therefore considered a more suitable option. In this study, we describe the complete FACT protocol for antibody staining and imaging of whole-cleared tissues while preserving structure and improving image quality. The protocol includes tissue perfusion, fixation, clearing, antibody staining, refractive index matching (RIM) (), microscopy, and imaging. The timing for each step varies depending on the size, weight, and type of tissue, as well as the type of immunostaining. We provide an example of the FACT protocol using mouse brain tissue, which demonstrates its suitability for molecular interrogation analysis of large tissues. The FACT technique has been successfully performed on different types of tissues, making it a favorable choice for a variety of applications.

KEYWORDS:

• Imaging
• three-dimensional
• microscopy
• confocal
• tissues

Disclosure statement

The authors Afshin Zare and Amin Tamadon were employed by PerciaVista R&D Co. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Author contributions

Conceptualization, Amin Tamadon; Methodology, Zohreh Farrar, Alireza Afshar, Mahdi Mahdipour and Amin Tamadon; Project administration, Nadiar M. Mussin, Asset A. Kaliyev and Amin Tamadon; Software, Alireza Afshar and Afshin Zare; Supervision, Amin Tamadon; Writing – original draft, Zohreh Farrar, Alireza Afshar, Afshin Zare and Kulyash R. Zhilisbayeva; Writing – review & editing, Nadiar M. Mussin, Asset A. Kaliyev, and Amin Tamadon.

Data availability statement

Data are contained within the article. Datasets related to this project can be obtained from corresponding author based on a reasonable request.