Rapid amplification of cDNA ends

Rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) is a technique used in molecular biology to obtain the full length sequence of an RNA transcript found within a cell. RACE results in the production of a cDNA copy of the RNA sequence of interest, produced through reverse transcription, followed by PCR amplification of the cDNA copies (see RT-PCR). The amplified cDNA copies are then sequenced and, if long enough, should map to a unique genomic region. RACE is commonly followed up by cloning before sequencing of what was originally individual RNA molecules. A more high-throughput alternative which is useful for identification of novel transcript structures, is to sequence the RACE-products by next generation sequencing technologies.