Products designed for use during real-time (quantitative) PCR procedures. Includes master mixes, DNA polymerases, reverse transcriptases, size standards, kits, and reagents.

Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is a laboratory technique that combines the reverse transcription of RNA into DNA and the subsequent amplification of the DNA using PCR.

In RT-PCR, a reverse transcriptase enzyme converts an RNA template to its complementary DNA (cDNA). The cDNA then becomes the template for PCR amplification.

A typical RT-PCR kit includes the main components needed for the assay:

• Buffer
• Primers – a combination of deoxynucleotide triphosphates (dNTPs) of the four bases of adenine (dATP), cytosine (dCTP), guanine (dGTP), and thymine (dTTP)
• Reverse transcriptase reagent

The combination of RT-PCR and qPCR techniques (sometimes labelled RT-qPCR) is often used in research and clinical labs to analyze gene expression and quantify viral RNA. Since this method uses fluorescence to track the amplification reaction, these kits may also include:

• Fluorogenic primers or labeled fluorogenic probes
• Fluorescent dye

Reagents for cDNA PCR can be purchased separately or as cDNA synthesis kits.

RT-PCR is commonly used for RNA detection, molecular cloning, and gene sequencing. RT-qPCR is used for gene expression analysis, RNAi or microarray validation, pathogen detection, genetic testing, and other disease research.