title: Visualization and analysis of mRNA molecules using fluorescence in situ hybridization in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
abstract: The Fluorescence in situ Hybridization (FISH) method allows one to detect nucleic acids in the native cellular environment. Here we provide a protocol for using FISH to quantify the number of mRNAs in single yeast cells. Cells can be grown in any condition of interest and then fixed and made permeable. Subsequently, multiple single-stranded deoxyoligonucleotides conjugated to fluorescent dyes are used to label and visualize mRNAs. Diffraction-limited fluorescence from single mRNA molecules is quantified using a spot-detection algorithm to identify and count the number of mRNAs per cell. While the more standard quantification methods of northern blots, RT-PCR and gene expression microarrays provide information on average mRNAs in the bulk population, FISH facilitates both the counting and localization of these mRNAs in single cells at single-molecule resolution.
authors.affiliation: The Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University. r.scott.mcisaac@gmail.com
authors.forename: R Scott
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: McIsaac
authors.forename: Sanford J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Silverman
authors.forename: Lance
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Parsons
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Ryan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Briehof
authors.forename: Megan N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: McClean
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Botstein
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence / Q000379:methods*; D012331:RNA, Fungal / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D012331:RNA, Fungal; D012333:RNA, Messenger