cDNA amplification using one-sided (anchored) PCR

This unit presents a modification of PCR, called anchored PCR, that allows amplification of full-length mRNA when only a small amount of sequence information lying within the mRNA is available. Both the original and reamplifications use an oligo(dT) primer complementary either to the poly(A) tail of the mature mRNA [when amplifying downstream (3') to the known sequence] or to an enzymatically synthesized homopolymer tail added to the cDNA following first strand synthesis [when amplifying upstream (5') to the known sequence]. The two rounds of PCR amplification result in a single product that can be sequenced directly or cloned into an appropriate vector for further analysis.