Colony hybridization

Colony hybridization is a method of selecting bacterial colonies with desired genes through a straightforward cloning and transfer process. The genes of interest have been added to a bacterial plasmid previously through recombination, allowing genes from other organisms to be analyzed within a bacterial colony. The overall process involves a transfer of genetic material from one medium to another, typically using nitrocellulose filter paper, with the intended goal of identifying and isolating a specific gene. Radiographed RNA is used to find the desired sequence within the new bacterial colony and essentially "light it up" so that the sequence can be identified for transfer. The most common purpose of colony hybridization is to verify that a certain DNA sequence was able to successfully enter into a new cell, meaning that the cells being analyzed through this method are the result of recombination between a specific piece of DNA and a bacterial plasmid. This method was discovered by Michael Grunstein and David S. Hogness.