The Detection of DNA Tumour Virus-specific RNA Sequences in Abnormal Human Cervical Biopsies by in situ Hybridization

Abstract
The technique of in situ nucleic acid hybridization and autoradiography of thin frozen sections of human tissue was used to search for virus RNA sequences in human cervical tumors. Of cervical biopsies with abnormal cytology, 67% bound herpes simplex virus type 2 3H-labled DNA probes and 39% bound adenovirus type 2 3H-labeled DNA probes; control experiments with phage .lambda. 3H-labeled DNA probes, under the same conditions, bound to only 7% of cases. Normal cervical biopsies bound the 3 probes in only 23, 17 and 8% of cases, respectively.