The technique of in situ hybridization

In its various forms, has been used routinely in many laboratories for a number of years. In the post-genome era, gene arrays and proteomics have allowed us to identify hitherto unknown unrecognized pathways and mechanisms. However, rather than diminish the importance of in situ hybridization, the now widespread use of screening technologies has increased the need to temporally and spatially localize the distribution of mRNA expression.

Our intention, in In Situ Hybridization Protocols, is to provide ample information for novices planning to set up the in situ hybridization technique and use it in their laboratory for the first time, as well as giving updates of recent developments for those laboratories where in situ hybridization techniques are already in use.

Despite its widespread significance, in situ hybridization has retained a reputation as one of the more difficult and capricious molecular biological techniques. This may in part be because of the hybrid nature of the technique, which often requires a mixture of molecular biological and histological skills. The two techniques are usually taught and acquired in different streams of biological science.

The step-by-step and detailed protocols provided in In Situ Hybridization Protocols by researchers active in the field should make it possible for both the molecular biologist with little experience of histology and the histologist with little experience of molecular biology to use the technique successfully in their laboratories.