Hybridization is a basic property of nucleotide sequences and is taken advantage of in numerous molecular biology techniques.
A variety of different methods use hybridization to pinpoint the origin of a DNA sample, including the polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
In another technique, short DNA sequences are hybridized to cellular mRNAs to identify expressed genes.
[3] Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) is a laboratory method used to detect and locate a DNA sequence, often on a particular chromosome.
[5] Since those original observations, many refinements have increased the versatility and sensitivity of the procedure to the extent that in situ hybridization is now considered an essential tool in cytogenetics.