

The membrane is washed to remove unbound probe. RNA blots are most usually probed with cDNA fragments. The membrane is placed in a dish containing hybridization buffer with a labelled probe. The gel is then blotted on a nylon membrane or a nitrocellulose filter. The RNA samples are separated according to their size on an agarose gel. RNA is isolated from several biological samples (e.g., various tissues, various developmental stages of same tissue, etc.) Wear gloves use specially treated plastics and glassware to avoid accidental introducing ribonuclease to extraction prep.Īddition of di-ethyl-pyro-carbonate (DEPC) inhibits ribonuclease activity and also baking at high temperature destroys ribonuclease activity (only useful for treating heat resistant equipment like glassware).
#Southern northern western blot skin
RNA is extracted from the cells of interest, but precautions must be taken to avoid degradation of single-stranded RNA by ribonuclease (RNase), which is found on the skin and on glassware. RNA molecules are separated by size and detected on a membrane using a hybridization probe with a base sequence complementary to all, or a part, of the sequence of target RNA. It is one of the key techniques in molecular biology, its principal aim being the measurement of RNA (in particular mRNA). Northern blotting is a simple extension of Southern blotting, and derives its name from the earlier technique. Used in DNA fingerprinting, genetic engineering and forensic science for tests as under:ĭ. To detect certain cancers and genetic diseases, such as:Ĩ. To identify related DNA sequence in the genome and to determine if there is a gene family (a group of similar genes).ħ. To determine the number of copies of a particular DNA sequence presented in the genome of an organism.Ħ. To identify gene mutation, deletion, duplication, and gene rearrangement involved in diseases.ĥ. To analyse the genetic patterns in an organism’s DNA.Ĥ. Used in gene discovery and gene mapping.ģ. To identify a single gene among thousands of fragments of DNA and to detect sequences of DNA in an organism’s genome.Ģ. Whether re-arrangements have occurred during the cloning process. By performing the digestion with different endonucleases, or with combinations of endonucleases, it is possible to obtain a restriction map of the gene, i.e., an idea of restriction enzyme sites in and around the gene which will assist in attempts to clone the gene.Ĥ. Whether recognition sites for particular restriction endonucleases are present in the gene. The degree of similarity between the chromosomal gene and the probe sequence.ģ. Whether a particular gene is present and how many copies are present in the genome of an organism.Ģ. We can get following information from the technique of Southern blotting ġ. Information Obtained from Southern Blotting : If the probe has been labelled with 32P, it will be radioactive, and the sheet will show a band of radioactivity where the probe is hybridized with the complementary fragment. Next, a probe consisting of purified, single-stranded DNA corresponding to a specific gene (or mRNA transcribed from that gene) is poured over the sheet.Īny fragment that has a nucleotide sequence complementary to the probe’s sequence will hybridize (base pair) with the probe. The double-stranded helix of each DNA fragment is then denatured into single strands by making the pH of gel basic, and the gel is “blotted” with a sheet of nitrocellulose, transferring some of the DNA strands to the sheet. In this procedure, called a Southern blot, DNA from the sample is cleaved into restriction fragments with a restriction endonuclease, and the fragments are spread apart by gel electrophoresis. If we want to detect the presence of a specific sequence in our mixed DNA sample then we will accordingly design the probe which will have complementary sequence to our target sequence. In this technique we exploit the property of a radio-labelled probe with the single stranded DNA. This technique was invented in 1975 by E.M. Southern blot hybridization detects target DNA fragments that have been size-fractionated by gel electrophoresis.

The following points highlight the top seven blotting techniques used in detection of DNA.
