Hybridisation (molecular biology)

Hybridisation is the process of combining complementary, single-stranded nucleic acids into a single molecule. Nucleotides will bind to their complement under normal conditions, so two perfectly complementary strands will bind to each other readily. Conversely, due to the different geometries of the nucleotides, a single inconsistency between the two strands will prevent them from binding. The process can be reversed by heating the molecule.

Molecular techniques such as FISH and Southern blots use hybridization probes to identify RNA.

References

"Glossary of Biotechonogy Terms." from "Anatomy of a Comparative Gene Expression Study" by J Buhler. Accessed on May 7, 2005.