Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Invariant nonequilibrium dynamics in gene regulation optimize information flow.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same author

FISH-Dist: An Automated Pipeline for 3D Genomic Spatial Distance Quantification in FISH Imaging.

Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland)·2026
Same author

Inhibition of NFAT after human uterus transplant promotes loss of tissue-resident NK cells and attendant pregnancy complications.

Science translational medicine·2026
Same author

Loop Extrusion Accelerates Long-Range Enhancer-Promoter Searches in Living Embryos.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Fine-tuning mechanical constraints reveals uncoupled patterning and gene expression programs in murine gastruloids.

Development (Cambridge, England)·2025
Same author

Size-dependent temporal decoupling of morphogenesis and transcriptional programs in pseudoembryos.

Science advances·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 19, 2026

Author Spotlight: Investigating mRNA Spatial Distribution in Drosophila Muscle Tissue
10:22

Author Spotlight: Investigating mRNA Spatial Distribution in Drosophila Muscle Tissue

Published on: September 8, 2023

2.1K

Single mRNA Molecule Detection in Drosophila.

Shawn C Little1, Thomas Gregor2

  • 1Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, 1112 Biomedical Research Bldg. II/III, 421 Curie Blvd., Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA. shlittle@mail.med.upenn.edu.

Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)
|November 14, 2017
PubMed
Summary

We developed a single-molecule fluorescent in situ hybridization (smFISH) method for whole fruit fly embryos. This technique allows precise measurement of gene expression, advancing studies on cell specification.

Keywords:
DrosophilaFISHFluorescence imagingQuantitationSingle molecule

More Related Videos

Enhanced Northern Blot Detection of Small RNA Species in Drosophila Melanogaster
09:39

Enhanced Northern Blot Detection of Small RNA Species in Drosophila Melanogaster

Published on: August 21, 2014

24.8K
Visualizing and Tracking Endogenous mRNAs in Live Drosophila melanogaster Egg Chambers
07:39

Visualizing and Tracking Endogenous mRNAs in Live Drosophila melanogaster Egg Chambers

Published on: June 4, 2019

8.0K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Feb 19, 2026

Author Spotlight: Investigating mRNA Spatial Distribution in Drosophila Muscle Tissue
10:22

Author Spotlight: Investigating mRNA Spatial Distribution in Drosophila Muscle Tissue

Published on: September 8, 2023

2.1K
Enhanced Northern Blot Detection of Small RNA Species in Drosophila Melanogaster
09:39

Enhanced Northern Blot Detection of Small RNA Species in Drosophila Melanogaster

Published on: August 21, 2014

24.8K
Visualizing and Tracking Endogenous mRNAs in Live Drosophila melanogaster Egg Chambers
07:39

Visualizing and Tracking Endogenous mRNAs in Live Drosophila melanogaster Egg Chambers

Published on: June 4, 2019

8.0K

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Biology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Single molecule fluorescent in situ hybridization (smFISH) is a powerful technique for quantifying gene expression and mRNA localization in cells.
  • Its application to intact organisms, however, remains limited.
  • Understanding gene expression dynamics in whole organisms is crucial for developmental biology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To establish and validate a smFISH method for analyzing single mRNA molecules in whole Drosophila melanogaster embryos.
  • To enable absolute quantification of gene expression within intact developing organisms.
  • To facilitate research into the transcriptional mechanisms governing cell specification.

Main Methods:

  • Adaptation of smFISH protocols for tissue preservation and permeabilization in whole fruit fly embryos.
  • Development of specific RNA probes and hybridization conditions for sensitive detection of single mRNA molecules.
  • Implementation of imaging and analysis pipelines for quantitative assessment of mRNA distribution and abundance.

Main Results:

  • Successful labeling and detection of single mRNA molecules in whole Drosophila embryos using smFISH.
  • Demonstration of quantitative measurements of gene expression in absolute units.
  • Validation of the method's ability to resolve spatial patterns of gene expression.

Conclusions:

  • The developed smFISH method is effective for analyzing gene expression in whole fruit fly embryos.
  • This technique opens new avenues for studying transcriptional regulation and cell specification with high precision.
  • The ability to quantify gene expression in absolute units provides a significant advancement for developmental studies.