käänteistranskriptio

Käänteistranskriptio, also known as reverse transcription, is a biological process in which an RNA molecule is used as a template to synthesize a complementary DNA (cDNA) strand. This process is crucial in molecular biology and biotechnology, particularly in the study of gene expression and the production of recombinant DNA.

The reverse transcription process is catalyzed by an enzyme called reverse transcriptase, which is found in retroviruses and is also used in laboratory settings. The enzyme reads the RNA template in the 3' to 5' direction, synthesizing a DNA strand in the 5' to 3' direction. This results in a cDNA molecule that is complementary to the original RNA sequence.

Käänteistranskriptio is widely used in various applications, including the production of cDNA libraries for gene expression analysis, the creation of recombinant DNA molecules for genetic engineering, and the amplification of specific RNA sequences using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The process is also essential in the study of retroviruses, as their genomes are RNA-based and require reverse transcription to integrate into the host genome.

In summary, käänteistranskriptio is a fundamental process in molecular biology that enables the synthesis of DNA from an RNA template. Its applications range from gene expression analysis to genetic engineering and the study of retroviruses.