In Situ Hybridization for the Detection and Localization of HBV DNA in Liver Sections

The technique of in situ hybridization was first developed to localize specific DNA sequences on chromosomes (1 ). This technique has subsequently been modified to detect viral nuclear acids in tissue sections. Information gathered from this type of study can help us to identify the site of viral replication at the subcellular level and to understand the relationship between viral expression and disease activity.