Question

______ is used when PCR is employed to detect and quantify the amount of a specific RNA.

a) Reverse Transcriptase PCR
b) Nested PCR
c) Real-time PCR
d) Digital PCR

Answer 1

Reverse Transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) is used when PCR is employed to detect and quantify the amount of a specific RNA, by first converting RNA into cDNA with reverse transcriptase and then amplifying with PCR.

Step-by-step explanation:

Reverse Transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) is utilized when PCR is employed to detect and quantify the amount of a specific RNA. RT-PCR involves the conversion of RNA into complementary DNA (cDNA) using the enzyme reverse transcriptase, followed by PCR amplification of the cDNA. This technique is essential for analyzing gene expression by detecting whether a gene has been transcribed into mRNA within a sample. Real-time PCR, also known as quantitative PCR (qPCR), is another modification of PCR that enables the quantification of the original target sequence in a sample by using fluorescent markers to monitor the reaction in real-time. However, to directly answer the student's question, RT-PCR is the correct choice when the goal is to use PCR for detecting and quantifying RNA.