An advantage of using reverse transcriptase to prepare a gene for cloning is that
A) reverse transcriptase is more efficient than RNA polymerase.
B) the resulting DNA strand will lack exons.
C) reverse transcriptase is more efficient than DNA polymerase.
D) the resulting DNA strand will lack introns.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Reverse transcriptase is an enzyme that can synthesize a single-stranded DNA molecule from an RNA template. This process is called reverse transcription, and it allows for the conversion of an mRNA molecule into a complementary DNA (cDNA) molecule. The resulting cDNA molecule will lack introns because they are not present in mRNA. Therefore, choice D is the best answer. Choice A and C are incorrect because RNA and DNA polymerases can efficiently copy nucleic acid sequences, and reverse transcriptase is not necessarily more efficient. Choice B is incorrect because the resulting cDNA molecule will contain exons, which are the coding regions of genes.

An Advantage of Using Reverse Transcriptase to Prepare a Gene