FLUORESCENCE IN SITU HYBRIDIZATION (FISH) SYSTEMS
Fluorescent in-situ hybridization (FISH) is a molecular cytogenetic technique that uses fluorescent probes that bind to only those parts of the chromosome with a high degree of sequence complementarity. It was developed by biomedical researchers in the early 1980s and is used to detect and localize the presence or absence of specific DNA sequences on chromosomes. Fluorescence microscopy can be used to find out where the fluorescent probe is bound to the chromosomes.
FISH allows very precise spatial resolution of morphological and genomic structures. The technique is rapid, simple to implement, and offers great probe stability. The genome of a particular species, entire chromosomes, chromosomal-specific regions, or single-copy unique sequences can be identified, depending on the probes used.
The use of FISH is growing rapidly in genomics, cytogenetics, prenatal research, tumor biology, radiation labels, gene mapping, gene amplification, and basic biomedical research. FISH is often used for finding specific features in DNA for use in genetic counseling, medicine, and species identification. FISH can also be used to detect and localize specific RNA targets (mRNA, lncRNA and miRNA) in cells, circulating tumor cells, and tissue samples. In this context, it can help define the spatial-temporal patterns of gene expression within cells and tissues.