Calibration of the change in thermal stability of DNA duplexes and degree of base pair mismatch (original) (raw)

Summary

One method of determining the degree of base pair divergence between two sources of DNA (different strains, species, etc.) is to determine the decrease in thermal stability of hybrid duplex DNA due to mismatching of base pairs. Attempts to calibrate the change in median melting temperature (ΔTm) to base pair mismatch have led to conflicting results. We have studied the ΔTm between DNAs of known sequence over a range of from 0.55% to 7.2% base pair mismatch. The relationship of ΔTm and percent base pair mismatch is remarkably linear over this range with a correlation coefficient >0.98. A ΔTm of 1°C corresponds to 1.7% base pair mismatch. This conversion is higher than that usually assumed and, therefore, rates of DNA evolution estimated by DNA-DNA hybridization studies are likely faster than previously thought.

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Author notes

1. Adalgisa Caccone
   Present address: II Università di Roma ‘Tor Vergata’, Rome, Italy

Authors and Affiliations

1. Department of Biology, Yale University, PO Box 6666, 06511, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
   Adalgisa Caccone, Rob DeSalle & Jeffrey R. Powell

Authors

1. Adalgisa Caccone
2. Rob DeSalle
3. Jeffrey R. Powell

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Caccone, A., DeSalle, R. & Powell, J.R. Calibration of the change in thermal stability of DNA duplexes and degree of base pair mismatch.J Mol Evol 27, 212–216 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02100076

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• Received: 15 October 1987
• Revised: 25 January 1988
• Accepted: 25 January 1988
• Issue date: May 1988
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02100076

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