Final answer:
The enzyme required for the generation of complementary DNA (cDNA) libraries is reverse transcriptase, which transcribes RNA into single-stranded DNA and eventually into double-stranded cDNA.
Step-by-step explanation:
The generation of complementary DNA (cDNA) libraries requires the enzyme reverse transcriptase. This enzyme is responsible for transcribing RNA into DNA, which is a crucial step in the process of creating a cDNA library. Reverse transcriptase converts the mRNA molecules into a single-stranded DNA, which can then be converted into double-stranded cDNA (ds cDNA) by the same enzyme. Once the ds cDNA is synthesized, it can be used for various applications such as molecular cloning and sequencing.
Synthesis of the second cDNA strand is also catalyzed by reverse transcriptase, showcasing its versatility. The enzyme is quite pivotal in molecular biology and is utilized in PCR techniques, including reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR), where it first creates cDNA from an RNA template before the amplification process begins.