Tissue antigens will be denatured by exposure to paraffin at what temperature, rendering them unable to be demonstrated?

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Multiple Choice

Tissue antigens will be denatured by exposure to paraffin at what temperature, rendering them unable to be demonstrated?

Explanation:
Antigen detection is sensitive to heat: during paraffin processing the tissue is infiltrated with molten paraffin, which is around 60°C. As the temperature rises, protein epitopes become increasingly denatured, and at a point around 70°C many antigens lose their conformation enough to be undetectable. That’s why 70°C is the best choice among the options. At 60°C the process is just at the molten paraffin range and may not yet destroy epitopes, while 80°C or 90°C would cause more extensive denaturation, though such high temperatures are not typical in routine processing.

Antigen detection is sensitive to heat: during paraffin processing the tissue is infiltrated with molten paraffin, which is around 60°C. As the temperature rises, protein epitopes become increasingly denatured, and at a point around 70°C many antigens lose their conformation enough to be undetectable. That’s why 70°C is the best choice among the options. At 60°C the process is just at the molten paraffin range and may not yet destroy epitopes, while 80°C or 90°C would cause more extensive denaturation, though such high temperatures are not typical in routine processing.

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