Question

If a high concentration of NaCl were added to a hybridization solution, how would the stringency be affected?

1) The stringency would increase
2) The stringency would decrease
3) The stringency would remain the same
4) The effect on stringency cannot be determined

Answer 1

Adding a high concentration of NaCl to a hybridization solution increases stringency by promoting the binding of only highly complementary nucleic acid strands and destabilizing mismatched pairs. The correct option is 1)

Step-by-step explanation:

If a high concentration of NaCl were added to a hybridization solution, the stringency of the hybridization would increase. Stringency refers to the strictness or permissiveness of the conditions during hybridization, affecting how tightly the DNA or RNA strands bind to each other. Adding NaCl increases the ionic strength of the solution, which reduces the stability of mismatched pairs and promotes the formation of more stable, perfect matches. As a result, only nucleic acid strands that are highly complementary will bind effectively, leading to greater specificity in hybridization. A higher NaCl concentration makes it harder for strands with mismatches to stay hybridized, thus increasing stringency.