VPB 321: Animal Biotechnology (2+1)

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF HOT  AND COLD PROBES

Hot probes

Advantages

• More sensitive in the shortest time.
• More specific in nature.

Disadvantages

• Short half-life.
• Expensive.
• Inconvenience of disposal.
• Hazards of working with the isotopes are more.
• Carcinogenic.
• Requires sophisticated laboratory facilities.

Cold probes

• Though they are not so sensitive as hot probes, the disadvantages of the hot probes can be avoided.
• Generally probes range in length from 100 to more than 1000bp, although both larger and smaller probes can be used.
• Depending on the conditions of the hybridization reaction, stable binding requires a greater than 80% match within a segment of 50 bases.