Question

Name two ways to permanently bind nucleic acid to nitrocellulose following transfer?

1) Hybridization and covalent binding
2) Electrostatic interaction and van der Waals forces
3) Phosphorylation and glycosylation
4) Denaturation and renaturation

Answer 1

The two methods for permanently binding nucleic acids to nitrocellulose following transfer in blotting techniques are hybridization and covalent binding.

Step-by-step explanation:

The two ways to permanently bind nucleic acid to nitrocellulose following transfer are hybridization and covalent binding. During Southern and Northern blotting, DNA or RNA fragments are transferred to a nitrocellulose or nylon membrane. Here, hybridization refers to the process where a labeled DNA probe with a complementary sequence to the target DNA or RNA can anneal (stick or base pair) to its matching sequence on the nitrocellulose membrane, binding it permanently after the blotting procedure.

Covalent binding involves forming a permanent attachment between the nucleic acids and the membrane. This can occur through ultraviolet (UV) irradiation which covalently links the DNA or RNA to the membrane. Hybridization is a specific interaction influenced by temperature and salt conditions promoting annealing of complementary nucleic acid sequences, whereas covalent binding is a chemical link between the nucleic acid and membrane that is not sequence-dependent.