Nucleic acid thermodynamics is the study of how temperature affects the nucleic acid structure of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA). The melting temperature (Tm) is defined as the temperature at which half of the DNA strands are in the random coil or single-stranded (ssDNA) state. Tm depends on the length of the DNA molecule and its specific nucleotide sequence. DNA, when in a state where its two strands are dissociated (i.e., the dsDNA molecule exists as two independent strands), is referred to as having been denatured by the high temperature.
Concepts
Hybridization
Hybridization is the process of establishing a non-covalent, sequence-specific interaction between two or more complementary strands of nucleic acids into a single complex, which in the case of two strands is referred to as a duplex. Oligonucleotides, DNA, or RNA will bind to their complement under normal conditions, so two perfectly complementary strands will bind to each other readily. In order to reduce the diversity and obtain the most energetically preferred complexes, a technique called annealing is used in laboratory practice. However, due to the different molecular geometries of the nucleotides, a single inconsistency between the two strands will make binding between them less energetically favorable. Measuring the effects of base incompatibility by quantifying the temperature at which two strands anneal can provide information as to the similarity in base sequence between the two strands being annealed. The complexes may be dissociated by thermal denaturation, also referred to as melting. In the absence of external negative factors, the processes of hybridization and melting may be repeated in succession indefinitely, which lays the ground for polymerase chain reaction. Most commonly, the pairs of nucleic bases A=T and G≡C are formed, of which the latter is more stable.
According to the researcher, it is fascinating how the system recognizes the precise location on the DNA to begin working ...Once both proteins recognize this short sequence, they melt the double-stranded DNA for target sequence interrogation.".
Two famous victims of the volcanic eruption that devastated Pompeii 2,000 years ago, long thought to be women and dubbed the “Two Maidens”, may have in fact been a heterosexual couple, DNA studies have revealed.
Researchers have studied the DNA preserved in the skeletal remains of Pompeii volcanic eruption victims. ... DNA evidence suggests that the city was a melting pot of cultures, with people from various parts of the Mediterranean settling there.
Paulhome... That was the last time anyone heard from Steger Trevino ... St ... DNA testing revealed the blood belonged to Steger Trevino. In May, as the ice melted, her body was found near a barge repair facility in the Mississippi River, located outside of St.
Traditional methods of analyzing ancient DNA have been hampered by the limited availability and poor preservation of fossils ...Ice Age Galileans Thrived During Global Ice Melts 8000 Years of EuropeanEvolution Disclosed by Genome Study.
"I had a dream a long time ago about Sofia," said Ducharme of the Greek goddess of wisdom ... Beauregard said her sculpture was inspired by how life is "linked through DNA and all of nature." ... melting point or start of all life," she said ... " ... Carl D.
The male members of the Gregori family declined to take DNA tests, saying they would only oblige if Grillo told them to do so ... “Another time the blood turned out to be melted glue. In Sardinia, a DNA ...
... in the Greenland ice sheet, including dark ice, ice cores, red and green snow, and melting holes (cryoconite), before analyzing them for DNA and searching for specific giant virus marker genes.
Beyoncé appears to address racism in new country album CowboyCarter... With each of her subsequent EP or album releases in the past five years, the country artist melts deeper into the core DNA of the genre as an unrestrained singer-songwriter ... 11 ... 1.
A new technique, which involves melting bacterial DNA found in blood samples, could deliver diagnoses of potentially fatal infections faster than ever before ... If any bacteria are present in the fluid, the heat causes their DNA molecules to melt.
Ocean secrets Researchers have used an unusual source to solve one of history’s mysteries about the West Antarctic ice sheet, which is rapidly melting due to global warming. By studying the DNA of ...
