Hybridization Chain Reaction
Hybridization Chain Reaction - Related Videos
13:27
PCR: The Polymerase Chain Reaction
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2023
The polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, is a technique used to amplify DNA through thermocycling – cyles of temperature changes at fixed time intervals. Using a thermostable DNA polymerase, PCR can create numerous copies of DNA from DNA building blocks called dNTPs. There are three steps in PCR: denaturation, annealing, and elongation. Denaturation is the first step in the cycle and causes the DNA to melt by disrupting hydrogen bonds between the bases resulting in single-stranded DNA. Annealing...
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Hybridization Chain Reaction FISH in the Developing Drosophila Optic Lobe
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This protocol describes the steps required to perform hybridization chain reaction fluorescent in situ hybridization (HCR-FISH) in Drosophila melanogaster larval optic lobes. Procedures for probe design, hybridization, amplification, and tissue mounting are detailed to facilitate visualization of the developing optic lobe.
01:29
Chain Reactions
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2026
Chain reactions involve highly reactive transient species, such as atoms or free radicals, as intermediates. These intermediates facilitate rapid reactions over an extended period. The process includes a series of steps: a reactive intermediate is consumed, reactants are converted to products, and the intermediate is regenerated. This cycle enables continuous repetition, amplifying the production of products with a small amount of intermediate. Chain reactions often utilize free radicals as...
06:32
Hybridization Chain Reaction RNA Whole-Mount Fluorescence In situ Hybridization of Chemosensory Genes in Mosquito Olfactory Appendages
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Cited by 1 •
2023
The article describes the methods and reagents necessary to perform hybridization chain reaction RNA whole-mount fluorescence in situ hybridization (HCR RNA WM-FISH) to reveal insights into the spatial and cellular resolution of chemosensory receptor genes in the mosquito antenna and maxillary palp.
03:25
Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction to Enumerate Bacteriophages
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2025
In this video, we discuss the quantitative polymerase chain reaction, qPCR, to enumerate T7 bacteriophages through DNA quantification. The fluorescent dye in the PCR mixture binds with the newly synthesized DNA strands and emits fluorescence, which is measured.
FAQs
The initiator sequence acts as the trigger that links target recognition to chain growth. After hybridizing with the first metastable hairpin, it causes that hairpin to open and expose a sequence that activates the second hairpin. Repeated alternating hybridization then extends the linked DNA or RNA polymer, converting a specific molecular interaction into a detectable signal.
Constant-temperature operation allows the hairpin cascade to proceed without repeated temperature cycling, while the enzyme-free design avoids enzymatic amplification. This combination is especially relevant when detection must support imaging in cells or tissues. It also provides a foundation for multiplexed analysis, where several molecular targets can be examined within the same biological specimen.
Metastable hairpins remain closed until the appropriate complementary sequence opens them. The initiator therefore starts a controlled sequence of strand-opening events rather than triggering nonspecific chain growth by itself. Each opened hairpin exposes the sequence needed for the next step, so the alternating arrangement of complementary hairpins determines whether propagation continues and produces an extended molecular polymer.
A typical workflow begins by selecting the RNA or DNA sequence to be detected and establishing the corresponding initiator and alternating hairpin components. The reaction is then allowed to proceed under constant-temperature conditions. Resulting chain formation can be visualized or quantified in cells and tissues, preserving information about where the target occurs as well as whether it is present.
Researchers can use HCR to visualize or quantify RNA and DNA biomarkers directly in cells and tissues. This is valuable when tumor-associated gene expression must be examined in its original spatial setting rather than measured only as a bulk signal. The approach can therefore support investigation of heterogeneous tumors, in which biomarker patterns may differ across regions or cellular populations.
HCR can provide spatially resolved detection and quantification of selected RNA or DNA biomarkers, allowing researchers to associate molecular signals with specific locations in a tumor-associated sample. When applied in multiplexed imaging, it can also support examination of several biomarkers or related expression patterns together. These measurements help characterize biomarker networks while retaining tissue context.