How is RACE different from PCR?

Use the following information to answer questions: A method termed rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) was developed in the late 1980s to allow for the easy and fast generation of full-length complementary DNA (cDNA) copies of low-abundance messenger RNA molecules (mRNAs). In the first step, which relies on a unique property of mRNA, reverse transcriptase is employed to produce negative-strand cDNA from mRNA. This strand then serves as a template for the production of positive-strand cDNA. Finally, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of the two strands results in the amplification of cDNA.... Show more

Use the following information to answer questions:

A method termed rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) was developed in the late 1980s to allow for the easy and fast generation of full-length complementary DNA (cDNA) copies of low-abundance messenger RNA molecules (mRNAs). In the first step, which relies on a unique property of mRNA, reverse transcriptase is employed to produce negative-strand cDNA from mRNA. This strand then serves as a template for the production of positive-strand cDNA. Finally, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of the two strands results in the amplification of cDNA. The RACE method can be used in situations where only a partial sequence of mRNA is known and also to identify alternative gene transcripts. The technique can also be modified to create cDNA libraries from a pool of mRNA molecules.

The following figure illustrates the RACE method:

 

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