When DNA probes are used to identify bacterial DNA similarities by hybridization,the probe DNA is heated and the template DNA is treated to separate the two strands.Why would the probe DNA be heated?
A)This is the only way to properly label the probe DNA.
B)The probe may contain portions that are double-stranded.Heating it up breaks any possible hydrogen bonds that may have formed allowing the single-stranded sequences to hybridize with their complementary targets.
C)Heating it up activates the tag on the probe DNA before it hybridizes to the bacterial template DNA.
D)DNA hybridization can only take place at high temperatures,so all the DNA must be heated up prior to hybridization.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Heating the probe DNA breaks any possible hydrogen bonds that may have formed between complementary base pairs, allowing the single-stranded sequences to hybridize with their complementary targets. This ensures that the probe binds specifically to the target DNA and avoids any false positives due to hybridization with non-target DNA. Option A and C are incorrect as they are not relevant to the process of DNA hybridization. Option D is incorrect as DNA hybridization occurs at moderate temperatures (typically between 50-65°C) and not at high temperatures.

When DNA Probes Are Used to Identify Bacterial DNA Similarities