A59

Although many cell products are maintained at 4?C for years without loss of activity, shelf-life at 4?C is highly variable. For immediate use, short term storage at 4?C up to two weeks is recommended. For long term storage, divide the solution into volumes of no less than 20 µl for freezing at -20?C or -80?C. The small volume aliquot should provide sufficient reagent for short term use. Freeze-thaw cycles should be avoided. For concentrate or bioreactor products, an equal volume of glycerol, a cryoprotectant, may be added prior to freezing.

Although the optimal Ig concentration for an application varies for each product and must be optimized for each laboratory, a good starting concentration for immunohistochemistry (IHC), immunofluorescence (IF), and immunocytochemistry (ICC) is 2-5 µg/ml. For western blots, the recommended concentration range is 0.2-0.5 µg/ml.