Whole animal section in situ hybridization and protein blotting: new tools in molecular analysis of animal models for human disease.

Abstract

Laboratory animals continue to be invaluable in the study of the pathogenesis and management of infectious diseases. Development of nucleic acid and antibody technologies have facilitated analysis of animal infection models at the levels of genes, messages and proteins. With the advent of whole animal sectioning (WAS), it is now possible to study these models at the molecular level in an anatomic context. WAS in situ hybridization and protein blotting is a sensitive and specific approach to analysis of infections with several viruses, including ground squirrel hepatitis virus, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, polyoma virus, rabies virus, reovirus and vesicular stomatitis virus. A similar technique, whole organ sectioning, has been useful for analysis of viral infections in larger hosts, e.g., hepatitis B virus of liver and measles virus infection of brain in man and visna virus infection of brain in sheep (Table 1).