Question

What is a cDNA library?

Answer 1

cDNA libraries are collections of complementary DNA (cDNA) fragments that represent only the expressed genes (exons) of an organism. They are created by reverse transcribing mature messenger RNA (mRNA) extracted from cells or tissues into DNA, thus excluding non-coding regions or introns. This means cDNA libraries reflect the genes actively expressed in the tissue at the time of RNA extraction. cDNA libraries are valuable in studying gene expression and producing cloned genes for further research because they contain sequences corresponding only to functional proteins, unlike genomic libraries which include both introns and exons.