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Arcturus® LCM Process Overview
Viability of the IR laser-enabled laser capture microdissection (LCM) technique has been shown for a variety of different cell types. The procedure is remarkably simple and robust, and is available exclusively with Applied Biosystems® Arcturus® LCM instruments. The Arcturus® LCM method is extraordinarily gentle and ideal for microdissection of single cells or small numbers of cells. This system uniquely combines LCM and UV laser cutting for ultimate microdissection flexibility.
Simple 4-step Process to Capture Cells and Recover Biomolecules
 | After locating the cells of interest, a CapSure® LCM Cap is placed over the target area. Pulsing the laser through the cap causes the thermoplastic film to form a thin protrusion that bridges the gap between the cap and tissue and adheres to the target cell. Lifting of the cap removes the target cell(s) now attached to the cap. The isolated cells are now available for extraction of biomolecules. |
Complete Systems for Microgenomics®
The combination of Arcturus® laser capture microdissection (LCM) systems, instruments, and microgenomics reagents gives you a complete solution for your microgenomic research requirements.
View All LCM Kits & Reagents
Experimental Workflow: Find the Products You Need for Every Step
To identify target cells for LCM, tissue preparation kits are used to stain tissues to aid in identification and sourcing of biomolecules for further analysis.
Products for Step 1
 | HistoGene® LCM Frozen Section Staining Kit HistoGene® Stain is a special solution used to stain tissues for LCM that are subsequently used as sources of RNA, DNA, and proteins. It is a fast-penetrating stain that provides good contrast by differential staining of nuclei (purple) and cytoplasm (light pink). By minimizing the exposure of tissues to water where nucleases may be activated, the HistoGene® staining process helps to preserve RNA integrity that may be otherwise compromised when using longer staining protocols. | |
| HistoGene® LCM Immunofluorescence Staining Kit Identify target cells for LCM and gene expression analysis using antigen markers to highlight specific surface or intracellular proteins. The HistoGene® LCM Immunofluorescence Staining Kit is the only kit specifically designed for retrieval of high-quality RNA from immunofluorescently stained frozen tissue. | |
| Paradise® PLUS FFPE LCM Staining Kit Paradise® Stain is a special solution used to stain formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues for LCM that are subsequently used as sources of RNA, DNA, and proteins. The fast,penetrating stain provides good contrast by differential staining of nuclei (purple) and cytoplasm (light pink). By minimizing the exposure of tissues to water where nucleases may be activated, the Paradise® staining process helps to preserve RNA integrity that may be otherwise compromised when using longer staining protocols. |
Once the tissue is stained, the cells of interest are located and selected using specialized microdissection software. The IR laser activates a transfer film on a cap placed on the tissue sample, adhering the film to the underlying cells of choice. The cells of interest are then lifted away from the tissue section, leaving all unwanted cells behind and providing a pure population for cell-specific molecular analysis.
Products for Step 2
| Arcturus XT LCM System The Arcturus XT system combines infrared (IR) laser capture microdissection (LCM) and ultraviolet (UV) laser cutting in one platform. The open, modular design of the Arcturus XT system provides unparalleled research flexibility and versatility. The system removes the guesswork from the microdissection process by allowing researchers to maintain custody of the sample throughout the experiment, ensuring that only the desired material has been collected. | |
| CapSure® LCM Caps CapSure® LCM Caps enable the precise and rapid extraction of populations of pure cells from tissue sections and cytology samples with Arcturus® laser capture microdissection. |
DNA or RNA is purified from the sample for downstream analysis.
Products for Step 3
| PicoPure® DNA Extraction Kit The PicoPure® DNA Extraction Kit offers an easy, streamlined genomic extraction procedure that produces PCR-ready DNA. Extract and amplify DNA in the same tube, without organic extraction or spin columns. Recover DNA from as few as ten cells procured by laser capture microdissection (LCM) or from milligrams of tissue. | |
| PicoPure® RNA Isolation Kit The PicoPure® RNA Isolation Kit is designed to recover high-quality total RNA consistently from fewer than ten cells, enabling use with small samples containing picograms of RNA and samples containing up to 100 µg of RNA. Since the RNA elutes in as little as 10 µL of buffer, it is ready for gene expression analysis without any vacuum concentration. |
DNA or RNA is amplified for molecular analysis.
Products for Step 4
| RiboAmp® PLUS RNA Amplification Kit The RiboAmp® PLUS RNA Amplification Kit offers unique linear amplification from as little as 1 ng of total RNA. Using a proprietary, patent-pending process for high-efficiency, high-fidelity linear amplification, messenger RNA is amplified up to 1,000-fold in one synthesis round and up to 1,000,000-fold in two rounds. The RiboAmp® PLUS Kit produces amplified antisense RNA (aRNA), ready for labeling and microarray hybridization or qRT-PCR. | |
| RiboAmp® HS PLUS Amplification Kit The RiboAmp® PLUS RNA Amplification Kit enables you to perform molecular analysis on RNA samples that, until now, have been too small for microarray analysis. This kit offers unique linear amplification from as little as 1 ng of total RNA. |
To identify target cells for LCM, tissue preparation kits are used to stain tissues to aid in identification and sourcing of biomolecules for further analysis.
Products for Step 1
| HistoGene® LCM Frozen Section Staining Kit HistoGene® Stain is a special solution used to stain tissues for LCM that are subsequently used as sources of RNA, DNA, and proteins. It is a fast-penetrating stain that provides good contrast by differential staining of nuclei (purple) and cytoplasm (light pink). By minimizing the exposure of tissues to water where nucleases may be activated, the HistoGene® staining process helps to preserve RNA integrity that may be otherwise compromised when using longer staining protocols. | |
| HistoGene® LCM Immunofluorescence Staining Kit Identify target cells for LCM and gene expression analysis using antigen markers to highlight specific surface or intracellular proteins. The HistoGene® LCM Immunofluorescence Staining Kit is the only kit specifically designed for retrieval of high-quality RNA from immunofluorescently stained frozen tissue. | |
| Paradise® PLUS FFPE LCM Staining Kit Paradise® Stain is a special solution used to stain formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues for LCM that are subsequently used as sources of RNA, DNA, and proteins. The fast,penetrating stain provides good contrast by differential staining of nuclei (purple) and cytoplasm (light pink). By minimizing the exposure of tissues to water where nucleases may be activated, the Paradise® staining process helps to preserve RNA integrity that may be otherwise compromised when using longer staining protocols. |
Once the tissue is stained, the cells of interest are located and selected using specialized microdissection software. The IR laser activates a transfer film on a cap placed on the tissue sample, adhering the film to the underlying cells of choice. The cells of interest are then lifted away from the tissue section, leaving all unwanted cells behind and providing a pure population for cell-specific molecular analysis.
Products for Step 2
| Arcturus XT LCM System The Arcturus XT system combines infrared (IR) laser capture microdissection (LCM) and ultraviolet (UV) laser cutting in one platform. The open, modular design of the Arcturus XT system provides unparalleled research flexibility and versatility. The system removes the guesswork from the microdissection process by allowing researchers to maintain custody of the sample throughout the experiment, ensuring that only the desired material has been collected. | |
| CapSure® LCM Caps CapSure® LCM Caps enable the precise and rapid extraction of populations of pure cells from tissue sections and cytology samples with Arcturus® laser capture microdissection. |
DNA or RNA is purified from the sample for downstream analysis.
Products for Step 3
| PicoPure® DNA Extraction Kit The PicoPure® DNA Extraction Kit offers an easy, streamlined genomic extraction procedure that produces PCR-ready DNA. Extract and amplify DNA in the same tube, without organic extraction or spin columns. Recover DNA from as few as ten cells procured by laser capture microdissection (LCM) or from milligrams of tissue. | |
| PicoPure® RNA Isolation Kit The PicoPure® RNA Isolation Kit is designed to recover high-quality total RNA consistently from fewer than ten cells, enabling use with small samples containing picograms of RNA and samples containing up to 100 µg of RNA. Since the RNA elutes in as little as 10 µL of buffer, it is ready for gene expression analysis without any vacuum concentration. |
DNA or RNA is amplified for molecular analysis.
Products for Step 4
| RiboAmp® PLUS RNA Amplification Kit The RiboAmp® PLUS RNA Amplification Kit offers unique linear amplification from as little as 1 ng of total RNA. Using a proprietary, patent-pending process for high-efficiency, high-fidelity linear amplification, messenger RNA is amplified up to 1,000-fold in one synthesis round and up to 1,000,000-fold in two rounds. The RiboAmp® PLUS Kit produces amplified antisense RNA (aRNA), ready for labeling and microarray hybridization or qRT-PCR. | |
| RiboAmp® HS PLUS Amplification Kit The RiboAmp® PLUS RNA Amplification Kit enables you to perform molecular analysis on RNA samples that, until now, have been too small for microarray analysis. This kit offers unique linear amplification from as little as 1 ng of total RNA. |
For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.