Colony hybridisation in Escherichia coli: a rapid procedure for determining the distribution of specific classes of mutations among a number of preselected sites.

Colony probe oligonucleotide hybridisation was used for the unambiguous identification of DNA alterations and the determination of distributions and frequencies of forward mutation at the molecular level. To demonstrate the reliability and versatility of this technique, distributions of spontaneous and ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS)-induced mutations have been reproduced using a battery of oligonucleotide probes complementary to specific sites and classes of mutation. These studies are indicative of the diagnostic potential of oligonucleotide colony hybridisation to the characterisation of mutation; oligonucleotide hybridisation used in conjunction with a well studied mutational target provides a rapid and reliable alternative to DNA sequencing for the characterisation of all classes of mutations.