Rapid differentiation of bacterial species with multiple probes of different lengths in a single slot blot hybridization.

We describe a highly efficient method for dot and slot blot hybridizations with multiple oligonucleotide probes for high throughput identification of organisms and studies of microbial community structures. Several probes with distinct specificities were designed to have the same melting temperature but unique lengths by adding different numbers of nonspecific nucleotides to one end. All of the probes were mixed, labelled with 32P, and hybridized to one piece of membrane on which genes coding for 16S rRNAs from different bacterial species had been immobilized. After hybridization, the bound probes were eluted and resolved on a denaturing polyacrylamide gel and the identities of the genes coding for 16S rRNAs were read from an autoradiograph of the gel. The results from the application of this technique to pure actinomycete cultures are reported here.