Comparison of 35S and chemiluminescence for HPV in situ hybridization in carcinoma cell lines and on human cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.

For in situ hybridization (ISH), development of sensitive, nontoxic alternatives to the use of radioactivity is a constant concern. In this trend, and close to chromogenes and fluorophores, chemiluminescence appears an attractive method. A first positive experience in immunocytochemistry and in ISH, by using the enhanced luminol as luminogene substrate for horseradish peroxidase (HRP) led us to compare the sensitivity of 35S autoradiography and chemiluminescence. For this purpose, we used three human carcinoma cell lines, CaSki [400-600 copies of human papilloma virus (HPV) 16], HeLa (10-50 copies of HPV 18), and SiHa (1-5 copies of HPV 16), and 40 biopsy specimens of human cervical preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions. We performed ISH by using HPV cDNA biotin-labeled probes, detected by a two-step immunocytochemical reaction, the secondary antibodies being either 35S-labeled for autoradiography or HRP-labeled for chemiluminescence. An intensified CCD camera allowed acquisition of the luminescent signal. After only 10 min of photon accumulation, on cell line smears as well as on serial tissue sections, chemiluminescence gave comparable results to those obtained by a 3-week exposure for 35S autoradiography. A quantitative approach on cervical biopsy specimens confirmed this similar level of sensitivity by measuring the area of 35S- or chemiluminescence-stained nuclei. Our results indicate that chemiluminescence is a credible and perfectible alternative to radioisotopes for in situ detection of nucleic acids by hybridization.