Can Taq Pol amplify template RNA? - (Jan/09/2009 )

Is it possible? I have a colleague that insists there's a paper reporting this. That certain types of RNA (intronless RNA or RNA from intronless DNA, I can't really remember), can be read by Taq Polymerase and used as a template in PCR to amplify.

Can anyone prove this?

Thannks and happy 2009...
Chris

-chrisbelle-

To my Knowledge RNA has to be converted to single stranded DNA using reverse transcriptase before using as template for taq. To date I think there r no reports

-preetika-

Greetings, I agree with preetika, I think Taq Polymerase can´t use RNA as a template. But there is some other polymerases with Reverse transcription activity which can amplify RNA but with a previous RT process.

-BiolMolMex-

QUOTE (chrisbelle @ Jan 9 2009, 03:01 AM)

I have never heard this. proving should be easy, take a mixture of pure RNA and do pcr using specific primers. if you see product, it amplifies!! But how about a bet first?

I can't even amplify DNA half of the times!!

-TanyHark-