Several proto-oncogenes have been reported to be expressed in normal and malignant hematopoietic cells. Since these studies have been done almost exclusively by Northern and dot-blot analyses using mixed populations of cells, any conclusions concerning quantitative changes in gene expression are difficult to document. We have developed a rapid and sensitive RNA-in situ hybridization technique permitting detection of as few as 5 copies of mRNA per individual cell. Using this technique we have studied the expression levels of several oncogenes including MYC, SIS, FMS, p53, FOS and RAF in both normal hematopoietic cells and bone marrow (BM) cells obtained from acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) patients at presentation, at relapse and in complete remission (CR). Two of these oncogenes, MYC and SIS, are expressed at levels at least 2-5-fold higher in hematopoietic cells obtained from leukemia patients than in any normal hematopoietic cell examined, including cells obtained from regenerating bone marrow. The proportion of abnormal cells correlated well with the percentage of blast cells determined by morphological examination. In 7 out of 10 AML patients in morphological remission, a subpopulation of cells is detectable with abnormally high levels of MYC and/or SIS mRNA. These high levels of MYC expression are similar to those found in BM cells obtained from AML patients at presentation or relapse, but the percentage of cells with this abnormality is generally much lower. Continued follow-up of these patients has shown that 5 of them relapsed within 8 months. At this time, none of the 3 patients which were negative for MYC overexpression has relapsed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)