RNAtemplate

RNAtemplate refers to any RNA molecule that provides the sequence information used to guide the synthesis of a complementary molecule by a biological polymerase or by the translational machinery. Depending on context, an RNA template may be used to produce another RNA strand, a DNA strand, or a protein product.

In nature, RNA can serve as a template in several core processes. In RNA viruses, the genome itself often serves as the template for RNA-dependent RNA polymerase to generate complementary strands and replicate the genome. In reverse transcription, reverse transcriptase copies an RNA genome or RNA transcript into complementary DNA, using the RNA as template. Telomerase carries an RNA component that serves as template for adding telomeric DNA repeats to chromosome ends. In cellular translation, messenger RNA provides the template that guides ribosomes in assembling amino acids into a polypeptide.

In laboratory and biotechnological contexts, RNA templates are used in various ways. Reverse transcription converts RNA templates into DNA for subsequent PCR and sequencing. RNA-dependent polymerases and ribozymes can operate on RNA templates in vitro, enabling studies of replication and catalytic activities. However, many standard in vitro transcription protocols rely on DNA templates to produce RNA transcripts using RNA polymerases such as T7 or SP6.

See also: RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, reverse transcriptase, telomerase, ribosome, mRNA.