Novel 5′/3′RACE Method for Amplification and Determination of Single-Stranded RNAs Through Double-Stranded RNA (dsRNA) Intermediates.

To acquire the full-length sequences and to determine the 5′/3′ends of the RNA genomes and mRNA transcripts using the rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) protocols-via cDNA or mRNA templates-are a great challenge. This 4-steps RNA-based RACE method uses different ways to determine the RNA ends through a double-stranded (ds) RNA intermediate (dsRNA-RACE). In the first step a complementary RNA strand is synthesised by Phi6 RNA replicase enzyme next to the template ssRNA forming a dsRNA intermediate. The following steps include adapter ligation, nucleic acid purification and two classical methods with minor modifications reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction. The dsRNA-RACE protocol could be used in wide variety of ssRNA (cellular, viral, bacterial, etc.) templates in the field of microbiology and cellular biology and suitable for the amplification of full-length RNAs including the 5′/3′ends. This is a novel, expansively utilizable molecular tool with fewer disadvantages than the existing 5′/3′RACE approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]