What process do primers and probes bind to their DNA targets through?

Primers and probes bind to their DNA targets primarily through hydrogen bonding. This is a fundamental aspect of nucleic acid structure and function, as the base-pairing rules dictate that specific bases on the DNA strands (adenine pairs with thymine, and cytosine pairs with guanine) will form hydrogen bonds with their complementary bases. This allows primers to anneal to the target DNA during processes like PCR (polymerase chain reaction) and enables probes, which are often labeled for detection purposes, to specifically hybridize to their intended sequences.

Hydrogen bonds are relatively weak but are numerous, allowing for the necessary specificity and stability required for DNA interactions under certain conditions. This is distinct from covalent bonding, which involves stronger, more permanent chemical bonds and is not the type of interaction that governs the transient binding of primers and probes.

While concepts like high stringency and primer dimerism may play a role in PCR efficiency and specificity, they do not describe the fundamental mechanism through which primers and probes attach to their DNA targets. High stringency involves the conditions under which hybridization occurs, affecting binding affinity, while primer dimerism refers to non-specific interactions between primers themselves rather than with the target DNA.