Preparation of Mouse Vomeronasal Organ for Vibratome Sectioning

Begin with a mouse vomeronasal organ, or VNO, located at the base of the nasal septum.

This contains a thin layer of tissue harboring special smell-sensing neurons that detect pheromones.

Add a drop of cold solution to the VNO to prevent drying.

Separate each VNO capsule from the bony tissue and the central bone.

Remove the surrounding cartilaginous capsule.

Transfer the VNO to a cold surface and add a drop of cold solution to minimize tissue damage.

Immerse the VNO in molten agarose, move it to remove excess solution, then, position the VNO vertically. Place on ice to solidify the agarose and embed the VNO.

Invert the solidified agarose and trim it to the desired shape.

Fix the blocks on a specimen plate.

Now, section the tissue using a vibratome.

Store the sections in an oxygenated chamber containing a pH-adjusted solution to maintain cell activity for further studies.

Transfer the VNO to a small Petri dish under a stereomicroscope on an ice gel pack, where the remaining steps of the dissection should be performed. Next, rinse the VNO in a small amount of ice-cold S2 to prevent the tissue from drying out. Then, separate the cartilaginous capsules that contain the VNO soft tissues