Merck, 5081963001, Transcriptor High Fidelity cDNA Synthesis Kit

Retroviral reverse transcriptases commonly used for cDNA synthesis exhibit a higher error rate than other DNA polymerases used in nucleic acid analysis techniques. This lack in accuracy leads to a significant number of base exchanges or frameshifts, which are further propagated in subsequent PCR reactions. High fidelity (proofreading) PCR enzymes have been available for many years; Roche’s new high accuracy reverse transcriptase is further able to synthesize high yields of full-length cDNA. High mutation rate is a hallmark of retrovirus replication. This originates in the mechanism of genome replication by the viral-encoded reverse transcriptase, which converts the genomic RNA of the virus to a dsDNA. During this process, reverse transcription produces frequent replication errors. One accepted explanation of this inaccuracy is the lack of RT 3’-5’ exonuclease activity. The naturally high error rate of reverse transcriptases is not optimal for many different applications.