Clinical Applications of Non-isotopic in Situ Hybridization Methods

Non-isotopic in situ hybridization (NISH) methods are increasingly employed to analyze unique chromosomal abnormalities and gene rearrangements, and for physical mapping of DNA sequences on chromosomes. The techniques are also useful tools for prenatal diagnosis of major chromosomal disorders. This volume provides comprehensive coverage of the methodology and its relevance to the molecular investigation of selected inherited diseases. It describes the principle of the printed in situ hybridization (PRINS) technique and documents the clinical applications of both NISH and PRINS, through the analysis of chromosomes in metaphase of interphase, particularly in patients with abnormalities that cannot be detected by conventional methods. In addition, it discusses the use of NISH and PRINS for the prenatal diagnosis of chromosomal abnormalities in foetal cells in interphase, and the use of NISH to study chromosomal abnormalities in solid tumours using the comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) method and somatic cell hybrids.