In situ hybridization has become an important and widely used research tool for neurobiologists since the authors' first book on the subject, In Situ Hybridization: Applications to Neurobiology (Oxford, 1987). This new volume examines the methodological advances that have been made in in situ hybridization techniques and their impact on the study of the nervous system. These include methods for improving sensitivity, ways of examining multiple mRNAs within the same section, ways of examining both proteins and mRNAs within the same section, and methods for using in situ hybridization technology to examine areas of cellular biological significance, such as translational control. The development of alternative labels to radioactivity for the detection of hybridized probes, and the combined use of in situ hybridization and immunocytochemistry is also covered in this book. It discusses the quantification of in situ hybridization signal and presents an overview of information generated by using in situ hybridization in diagnostic medicine. This volume will be essential to researchers in the neurosciences as well as those in other disciplines.

This volume of the International Review of Neurobiology was written to assist researchers without any previous experience with in situ hybridization, allowing them to follow the protocols and expect good results. It contains all the information required for newcomers to achieve successful in situ hybridization results, and methods for improving the technique of those already utilizing it. Published since 1959, International Review of Neurobiology is a well-known series appealing to neuroscientists, clinicians, psychologists, physiologists, and pharmacologists. Led by an internationally renowned editorial board, this important serial publishes both eclectic volumes made up of timely reviews and thematic volumes that focus on recent progress in a specific area of neurobiology research. A well-known series appealing to neuroscientists, clinicians, psychologists, physiologists, and pharmacologists Led by an internationally renowned editorial board, this important serial publishes both eclectic volumes made up of timely reviews and thematic volumes that focus on recent progress in a specific area of neurobiology research

This volume contains a comprehensive compilation of chromogenic and fluorescent RNA in situ hybridization (ISH) technology in many of its various shades, forms, and applications. The book is organized into a number of parts and chapters focusing on the application of ISH methodologies to different animal species as used in Evolutionary Development (EvoDevo) and Biomedical research, and covering new developments in RNA visualization by fluorescent ISH (FISH). The described (F)ISH protocols employ effective strategies for signal enhancement and target amplification allowing for high signal intensities and drastically improved signal-to-noise ratios. Chromogenic and fluorescent ISH, as specified in the various chapters, are most essential for RNA expression profiling, applied to many fields of research including cellular, developmental, and evolutionary biology, neurobiology and neuropathology. Written for the popular Neuromethods series, chapters include the kind of detail and key implementation advice that ensures successful results in the laboratory. Essential and authoritative, In Situ Hybridization Methods provides detailed protocols for newcomers to ISH, and inspires researchers familiar with the technique to seek and find up-to-date methodology for new and specialized applications.

The explosion of interest in specific molecules important for brain function and dysfunction has drawn individuals from diverse backgrounds toward the use of in situ hybridization techniques. Study of the brain demands the anatomic precision and biochemical specificity that this approach can potentially bring. Workers with backgrounds in peptide neuroanatomy, neuropharmacology, molecular biology, neurovirology, neuropathology, and neurophysiology have joined together in this volume to discuss their initial experiences in applying ill situ hybridization techniques to the study of the brain. The work, although still in an early phase of development, is worthy of initial summary and dissemination. In the area of neuropeptide gene expression alone, investigators represented here describe studies of vasopressin, opiate peptides, oxytocin, vasoactive intestinal peptide, cholecystokinin, and somatostatin. Other contributions provide insight into applications of the technique to studies of the expression of genes for neurotransmitter synthesizing enzymes, viral-encoded genes, trophic factor genes, and the genes selected on the basis of their special roles in the brain. The authors provide an important series of technical perspectives, and describe specific experimental protocols. This volume should be of interest to individuals seeking an introduction to these methods, as well to those desiring an up to date precis of work in this burgeoning area. Dr. Uhl, with the sponsorship of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, has done a superb job of assembling the leaders in this area, and in organizing the presen ta tion of their perspecti ves herein. Joseph B. Martin, M.D., Ph.D.

The Handbook is intended to be a service to the neuroscience community, to help in finding available and useful information, to point out gaps in our knowledge, and to encourage continued studies. It represents the valuable contributions of the many authors of the chapters and the guidance of the editors and most important, it represents support for research in this discipline. Based on the rapid advances in the years since the second edition

A technique for reading the messenger RNAs by which cells express their distinctive populations of structural and functional proteins, in situ hybridization is now reliable and practical for use in neurobiological research.

This volume constitutes the most recent and most comprehensive consideration of the largest family of bony fishes, the Cichlidae. This book offers an integrated perspective of cichlid fishes ranging from conservation of threatened species to management of cichlids as invasive species themselves. Long-standing models of taxonomy and systematics are subjected to the most recent applications and interpretations of molecular evidence and multivariate analyses; and cichlid adaptive radiations at different scales are elucidated. The incredible diversity of endemic cichlid species in African lakes is revisited as possible examples of sympatric speciation and as serious cases for management in complex anthropogenic environments. Extreme hydrology and bathymetry as driver of micro-allopatric speciation is explored in the African riverine hotspot of diversity of the lower Congo River. Dramatic new molecular evidence draws attention to the complex taxonomy and systematics of Neotropical cichlids including the crater lakes of Central America. Molecular genetics, genomics, imaging tools and field study techniques assess the roles of natural, sexual and kin selection in shaping cichlid traits and beyond. The complex behavioral adaptations of cichlids are considered from a number of sub-disciplines including sensory biology, neurobiology, development, and evolutionary ecology. Most importantly, this volume puts forth a wealth of new interpretations, explanatory hypotheses and proposals for practical management and applications that will shape the future for these remarkable fishes in nature as well as their use as models for the study of biology.