Histochemistry today: Detection and location of single molecules

Abstract

Especially in the latest years, histochemical investigations have progressively been oriented toward the visualization and quantitative assessment of single molecules, thanks to the availability of stains, reactions and procedures allowing to detect in situ proteins, or carboydrates or nucleic acid sequences with high specificity. This is evident from the recent literature, where in the large majority of the published articles immunohistochemistry, lectin histochemistry or fluorescence in situ hybridization were used as experimental methodologies. Since in biomedical research it is crucial to specifically label and localize molecules there, where they exert their structural roles and activities, histochemistry will continue to provide scientists the most appropriate tools for tracing molecular maps suitable for reaching a mechanistic explanation of cell functions in tissues.