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FISH - Fluorescent In-situ Hybridization

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Fluorescence in situ hybridization, or FISH, was developed in the early 1980s and has quickly become one of the most widely used techniques in cytogenetics. Labeled probes are used to bind complementary DNA or RNA sequences on a chromosome or in a region within a cell. Earlier, the probes could only be obtained by cloning or reverse transcription of a DNA template. Currently, the probe oligonucleotides can be synthesized synthetically. Additionally, with the advancement of optical techniques,...

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Updated: May 27, 2026

Detection of Viral RNA by Fluorescence in situ Hybridization (FISH)

Detection of Viral RNA by Fluorescence in situ Hybridization (FISH)

Published on: May 5, 2012

Fluorescence in situ hybridization.

Karen D Tsuchiya¹

¹Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, 1959 NE Pacific Street, Box 357110, Seattle, WA 98195, USA. karen.tsuchiya@seattlechildrens.org

Clinics in Laboratory Medicine

|November 29, 2011

Summary

Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) remains essential in cytogenetics, complementing array technologies for visualizing genomic structures. FISH is crucial for detecting alterations in neoplastic disorders.

Area of Science:

Cytogenetics
Molecular Biology
Genomics

Background:

Genomic analysis has been revolutionized by array technologies, offering high-resolution genome-wide screening for copy number variations.
Despite advancements, array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) has limitations in visualizing the structural details of genomic gains.
Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) has a long history and continues to be a vital technique in cytogenetic analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the historical development and current applications of FISH techniques.
To highlight the indispensable role of FISH as an adjunct to array-based genomic analyses.
To emphasize the continued utility of FISH in conjunction with chromosome banding and as a standalone method for detecting genomic alterations.

Main Methods:

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Review of historical and current Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH) methodologies.
Comparative analysis of FISH capabilities versus array-based genomic technologies.
Application of FISH in the context of neoplastic disorder diagnostics.

Main Results:

FISH remains indispensable in cytogenetics, offering unique capabilities not fully provided by array technologies.
FISH effectively visualizes the genomic structure of gains, a limitation of array-based methods.
FISH is widely employed alongside chromosome banding and as a standalone technique for identifying genomic alterations in cancer.

Conclusions:

FISH is a critical tool that complements high-resolution array technologies in genomic analysis.
The technique's ability to visualize genomic structures and detect alterations makes it invaluable for diagnosing neoplastic disorders.
FISH continues to be a cornerstone of cytogenetic analysis, both independently and in combination with other methods.