What is cDNA? How is it used in cells?

1 Answer
Kate M.
Sep 13, 2015

cDNA stands for complementary DNA and it allows the cell to clone eukaryotic DNA in prokaryotes.

Explanation:

cDNA is a copy of DNA that can be derived from either prokaryotes or eukaryotes. It is used in genetic engineering to produce clones of other genes. cDNA is synthesized from mRNA using an enzyme called reverse transcriptase.

There's a very good animation explaining cDNA here.

Related questions
See all questions in DNA, Chromosomes and Genes
Impact of this question
6986 views around the world
You can reuse this answer
Creative Commons License