The use of tyramide-coupled immunofluorescence at the single cell level provides expedient, clean, and sensitive signals for
detection of DNA, RNA, or proteins. The principle is based on the ability of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) to cleave tyramides
into a free radical species with a very short diffusion radius. The free radicals are then covalently bound to electron-rich
moieties such as tyrosine in proteins proximal to the targets. Here we present protocols for tyramide fluorescent in situ
hybridization (T-FISH), which detects unique DNA species using DNA probes as short as approx 300-500 bp, or unique RNA species
with probes as small as an oligonucleotide. We also present a protocol for tyramide immunofluorescence (T-IF) to detect protein
antigens. By combining these protocols with several tyramide-coupled fluorophores, multiple targets can be detected simultaneously
in situ, which is ideal for in-depth analyses at the molecular and cellular levels. Finally, we describe the detection of nascent
viral RNA transcripts simultaneously with integrated viral genomes or chromosomal domains in single cells or tissue sections.
Key Words Fluorescence microscopy – tyramide – fluorophores – T-FISH – T-IF – HPV – DNA – RNA – protein – chromosome paints – antibody – hybridization – in situ analyses – tissue sections – single – cell