In this protocol, cells transfected with a luciferase reporter plasmid are lysed in a detergent-containing buffer. Luciferase in the extract catalyzes an oxidation reaction in which D-luciferin is converted to oxyluciferin, with production of light at 556 nm that can be quantified in a luminometer. - [Read Assay for Luciferase in Extracts of Mammalian Cells Protocol]
Here, the DNA-RNA hybrids synthesized in Stage 1 are converted into full-length double-stranded cDNAs. The primers for synthesis of second-strand cDNA are created by RNase H, which introduces nicks into the RNA moiety of the cDNA-mRNA hybrids. E. coli DNA polymerase I extends the newly created 3'-hydroxyl termini, using the first-strand cDNA as a template. - [Read Construction of cDNA Libraries Protocol]
Inverse PCR is used to amplify and clone unknown DNA that flanks one end of a known DNA sequence and for which no primers are available. The technique involves digestion by a restriction enzyme of a preparation of DNA containing the known sequence and its flanking region. The individual restriction fragments (many thousands in the case of total mammalian genomic DNA) are converted into circles by intramolecular ligation, and the circularized DNA is then used as a template in the PCR. - [Read Inverse PCR Protocol II]