RACE (biology)

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This article is about the molecular biology technique, for alternate meanings, see RACE

RACE, 5' RACE or Rapid Amplification of cDNA Ends, is a molecular biology technique used to amplify the 5' ends of cDNA by a special PCR reaction. In particular, it is used to clone 5' UTR fragments of specific cDNA, which are usually missed by regular cloning techniques. In order to conduct a RACE amplification, the sequence of a part of the cDNA of interest has to be known.

RACE-PCR requires a first round of cDNA extension by the enzyme terminal transferase, which adds a homopolymeric tail to the 5' end of all template cDNAs. A PCR reaction is then carried out, which uses a gene specific primer (GSP) that binds to the known sequence and a general universal primer (UPM) that binds the 5' unknown sequence. Both 5' and 3' RACE can be performed, although it is generally easier to perform 3' RACE due to the known region (mRNA poly A tail)

Source: "Rapid amplification of 5' cDNA ends," in Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual (eds. Sambrook, J. & Russell, D.W.) Chapter 8 Protocol 9, 8.54−8.60 (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, USA, 2001)