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Molecular Neurobiological Techniques pp 239–284Cite as

In Situ Hybridization

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Part of the book series: Neuromethods ((NM,volume 16))

Abstract

The application of conventional hybridization methods to detect gene sequences and their messenger RNAs in cytochemical and histological preparations was introduced 20 years ago With the aid of several biological systems to provide model systems and abundant gene products, these early studies established in situ hybridization as a sensitive technique to resolve and quantitate nucleic-acid sequences at the cellular level. For example, the first demonstrations of in situ hybridization to genomic DNA, pioneered by Gall and Pardue (1969) 23, John et al. (1969) 38, and Buongiorno-Nardelli and Amaldi (1970) 11, used in vivo labeled ribosomal RNA as a probe to visualize the several hundred reiterated copies of ribosomal genes clustered within the nucleolus of a variety of cell lines and tissues, including brain. In the early exploitation of viral systems, in situ hybridization was made feasible by the availability of viral genomes to provide probes and was used to demonstrate successfully viral sequences in individual tumor cells (Orth et al., 1970 53; zur Hausen and Schulte-Holthausen, 1972 75; Dunn et al., 1973 17. Similarly, the ability to synthesize complementary DNA (cDNA) from an enriched fraction of 9S globin mRNA with viral reverse transcriptase allowed for the first detection of a cellular mRNA (Harrison et al., 1973 34).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular Biology, Research Institute of Scripps Clinic, La Jolia, California

    Michael C. Wilson

  2. Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York

    Gerald A. Higgins

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  1. Michael C. Wilson
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  2. Gerald A. Higgins
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada

    Alan A. Boulton

  2. University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada

    Glen B. Baker

  3. University of California, Los Angeles, California

    Anthony T. Campagnoni

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© 1990 The Humana Press Inc

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Wilson, M.C., Higgins, G.A. (1990). In Situ Hybridization. In: Boulton, A.A., Baker, G.B., Campagnoni, A.T. (eds) Molecular Neurobiological Techniques. Neuromethods, vol 16. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1385/0-89603-140-3:239

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1385/0-89603-140-3:239

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-89603-140-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-59259-621-8

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