How much of the first-strand cDNA reaction should I load for PCR?
While the volume is dependent on the starting amount of RNA used for the first-strand synthesis and the abundance of the target gene, we'd recommend starting with 10% of the first-strand reaction for your PCR reaction.
How can reverse transcriptases be inactivated?
The enzymes can be inactivated by adding a chelating agent such as EDTA. Alternatively, with the exception of ThermoScript RT and Thermo-X RT, the enzymes can be heat inactivated at 70 degrees C for 10 min.
ThermoScript RT should be heated to 85 degrees C for 5 min for complete inactivation.
For Thermo-X RT, if using an oligo(dT) primer, add EDTA to the reaction at a final concentration of 5 mM. Inactivate the reaction by heating at 90 degrees C for 5 min.