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cDNA Library

A complete or nearly complete set of all the mRNAs of a cell or organism is referred to as a cDNA library. Researchers use reverse transcriptase to catalog this; this enzyme produces a DNA copy of every mRNA strand. The reverse transcribed mRNAs are called the library.

If you have a cDNA library for an organism, you can clone it to another organism. This can be immensely valuable; you can create and reproduce important human proteins in non-human species, for instance. One use that has been used extensively to demonstrate the power of a cDNA library is the introduction of mRNA into an organism that codes for luminescence. This is, of course, a dramatic demonstration.

cDNA libraries are also used to probe for DNA microarrays, and to insert foreign DNA into bacterial chromosomes. mRNA profiles from different tissues or developmental stages can also be compared if you have a cDNA library; this is done to check for developmental differences in an organism.

Web Resources On cDNA Library

Preparation of a DNA Library
Lecture on cDNA Libraries

Book Resources On cDNA Library

Generation of cDNA Libraries: Methods and Protocols by Shao-Yao Ying
Cdna Library Protocols by Cowell & Austin (Editors)

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