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Reverse transcription is the copying of an RNA molecule back into its
DNA complement. The process requires a reverse transcriptase enzyme, which can be obtained from a retrovirus such as AMV (Avian Myeloblastosis Virus) in order to be carried out in a lab. The enzyme collectively
referred to as reverse transcriptase generally includes an RNA-dependent DNA polymerase and a DNA-dependent DNA polymerase, which
work together to perform transcription in the
reverse of the standard direction. When used in genetics research, reverse transcription allows the data encoded in an RNA strand
(once transcribed into its DNA form) to be used in PCR, since PCR cannot replicate RNA
molecules directly. The combined process of reverse transcriptase and PCR is referred to as RT-PCR.
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