title: Nonspecific in situ hybridization reaction in neuroendocrine cells and tumors of the gastrointestinal tract using oligonucleotide probes.
abstract: Oligonucleotides used in in situ hybridization (ISH), regardless of their sequence specificity, bind to neuroendocrine (NE) cells in normal gastrointestinal mucosa and tumors. This nonspecific binding, presumably related to the presence in NE cells of hidden NH2 groups of obscure origin, can be prevented by acetic anhydride treatment of the sections. This is a routine step in several ISH protocols but not in all. This study emphasizes the need to establish safe protocols and controls to check the specificity of ISH procedures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences and Oncology, University of Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pagani
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cerrato
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bussolati
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D004064:Digestive System / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000166:cytology; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D017403:In Situ Hybridization / Q000379:methods*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009490:Neurosecretory Systems / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000166:cytology; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes