Immunofluorescence protects RNA signals in simultaneous RNA-DNA FISH

Cell research often requires combinational detection of RNA and DNA by fluorescence in situ hybridization (RNA-DNA FISH). However, it is difficult to preserve the fragile RNA signals through the harsh conditions used to denature the DNA template in DNA FISH. The current protocols of RNA-DNA FISH still cannot work robustly in all experiments. RNA-DNA FISH remains as a technically challenging and tedious experiment. By incorporating protein components into the signal detection steps of RNA FISH, which is then followed by a post-fixation step, we established an improved protocol of RNA-DNA FISH. The established method worked satisfyingly and robustly in our studies on Xist (inactivated X chromosome specific transcript) RNA and Terra (telomeric repeat-containing RNA). Our results provided the direct evidence to show that, not all the telomeres are associated with Terra, and a significant fraction of Terra foci do not overlap with telomere DNA in interphase cell nuclei. The improved method of simultaneous RNA-DNA FISH is reliable and time-efficient. It can be used in a variety of biological studies.