Synthesis of DNA Complements of Natural RNAs: A General Approach

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RESUMO

The availability of a purified RNA-instructed DNA polymerase (reverse transcriptase) from avain myeloblastosis virus provided the opportunity to explore whether this enzyme could be used as a general tool for synthesizing DNA complements of a wide variety of natural RNAs. The results described show that this potentially useful situation is in fact realized. The avian viral transcriptase can mediate the synthesis of DNA complementary to RNAs of such widely divergent origins as Qβ bacteriophage and Moloney sarcoma virus. These findings open up novel pathways for the experimental resolution of several interesting problems. Thus, given a purified RNA message, one should be able to synthesize the corresponding DNA genetic material. If suitably labeled, the synthetic DNA has various obvious uses, including its use via molecular hybridization as an analytical probe for the corresponding gene on the chromosomes or for its message in a complex mixture of RNA molecules.

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