title: Reliable hybridization of oligonucleotides as short as six nucleotides.
abstract: Although there are many new applications for hybridizing short, synthetic oligonucleotide probes to DNA, such applications have not included determining unknown sequences of DNA. The lack of clear discrimination in hybridization of oligo probes shorter than 11 nucleotides and the lack of a theoretical understanding of factors influencing hybridization of short oligos have hampered the development of their use. We have found conditions for reliable hybridization of oligonucleotides as short as seven nucleotides to cloned DNA or to oligonucleotides attached to filters. Low-temperature hybridization and washing conditions, in contrast to the high stringency conditions currently used in hybridization experiments, have the potential for allowing the simple use of all oligos of six nucleotides or longer in meaningful hybridizations. We also present the hybridization discrimination theory that provides the conceptual framework for understanding these results.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering, Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Drmanac
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Strezoska
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Labat
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Drmanac
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Crkvenjakov
mesh_terms: D016172:DNA Fingerprinting / Q000379:methods*; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes