Enhancement of hybridization efficiency in interphase cytogenetics on paraffin-embedded tissue sections by microwave treatment.

To enhance the efficiency of in situ hybridization in interphase cytogenetics on formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue sections we studied the effect of microwave heating as an addition to tissue pretreatment. The modified protocol resulted in a reduction of proteolytic digestion time and of effective enzyme concentration. Apart from that, reproducibility was raised and in large sections successful hybridization was more homogenous. We conclude, that the given technical recommendations should be useful for the study of chromosomal aberrations in routinely processed tissues.