SP6 RNA polymerase
SP6 RNA polymerase catalyzes the synthesis of RNA in the 5´→ 3´ direction in the presence of a DNA template containing an SP6 phage promoter. SP6 RNA polymerase can be used to generate high specific activity labeled RNA probes, RNA for in vitro translation, biologically active mRNA and/or preparative quantities of defined length RNA by run off transcription. SP6 DNA-dependent RNA polymerase, like T7 RNA polymerase, can be used to synthesize RNA sequences from short DNA templates which contain the 18 base pair promoter region. Use of SP6 polymerase extends the range of possible 5' sequences of RNA products since the preferred SP6 start site (of the RNA product) is 5'GAAGA, while T7 polymerase prefers 5'GGGAG. The SP6 start site can be advantageous in large-scale syntheses, where high concentrations of RNA can lead to aggregation.