PCR Amplification of Viral DNA and Viral Host Cell mRNAs in Situ

Abstract

The hallmark and power of in situ hybridization methodology are its ability to determine the levels of gene expression in an individual cell in a population or determine which cells in a population have acquired new genes by infection or other processes. In this way one can gain insight into how levels of gene expression can vary within a population with the same complement of genes, how different genes within a cell are coordinately regulated, and how newly introduced genes are regulated and interact with genes in the host cell. In contrast to other techniques that measure the average number of molecules per cell in the population, in situ analyses measure the number of molecules in a particular cell in a particular spatial and temporal context. With double-labeling techniques, one can also appreciate, for example, the relative abundancy of specific nucleic acid and protein in the same cell.