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Home >> Biotechnology and Genomics >> Isolation, Sequencing and Synthesis of Genes >> Use of Heterologous Probes

Use of Heterologous Probes.
The probes obtained from one species and used for another species are called heterologous probes. These heterologous probes have been found to be effective in identifying gene clones during colony hybridization or plaque hybridization or on Southern blots. For instance, the gene for chalcone synthase (CHS) has been isolated from Antirrhinum majus and Petunia hybrida using heterologous Antirrhinum cDNA probe was used for isolation of CHS gene from barley and heterologous Antirrhinum cDNA probe was used for isolation of barley genes, Wx (waxy gene) and Al (aleurone gene).

Heterologous probes should ordinarily be used with cDNA library and not with the genomic library, since in the latter case, unrelated genes or pseudogenes (which do not express) may be isolated and cloned. These heterologous clones if isolated in expression vector (e.g. pGEM-4) can also be used for getting RNA probes, which have been found to be more sensitive and efficient.

 

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