Features, Advantages and Disadvantages of in situ Hybridization to Identify Pathogenic Agents

Abstract

Molecular cytogenetics and in situ hybridization (ISH) methods have revolutionized the understanding of the structure, function, organization and evolution of genes and genomes, and allow identifying the presence and expression of pathogens within the affected cells. ISH is a technique that combines molecular biology and histochemical techniques to study gene expression in tissue sections and cytological preparations, so that the DNA or RNA can be quickly located in a specific cell. ISH locates the specific sequence of an in situ gene and displays the result of the expression of said gene while preserving the integrity of the cell in the surrounding tissue, which allows for significant anatomical interpretations. This technique is the result of a reaction in which a labeled probe binds to a nucleic acid sequence, which is complementary. ISH methods are applicable in clinical research and diagnostic pathology, being widely used to search for chromosomal gene expression or to detect the presence of bacteria or viruses in infected tissues, as it makes it possible to differentiate pollutants from real pathogens in an infectious process.