Simultaneous use of digoxigenin- and radiolabeled oligodeoxyribonucleotide probes for hybridization histochemistry.

Oligodeoxyribonucleotide probes have proven very useful for studying gene expression in tissue sections, especially from the central nervous system. We report here a procedure for simultaneously identifying two different mRNA species in the same sections by hybridizing one with a digoxigenin-labeled probe, the other with a radiolabeled probe. The former probe is located by alkaline phosphatase-conjugated antibodies against digoxigenin, the latter by conventional nuclear emulsion autoradiography. Although the digoxigenin detection scheme currently lacks the sensitivity of autoradiography, it offers greater rapidity, resolution, and ease of detection of abundant transcripts. Furthermore, changes in gene expression within a subset of characterized cells is now feasible.