Avian Myeloblastosis Virus Reverse Transcriptase (AMV-RT) catalyses DNA polymerisation using template DNA, RNA or RNA:DNA hybrids. It requires a primer (DNA primers are more efficient than RNA primers) as well as Mg²⁺ or Mn²⁺. The enzyme possesses an intrinsic RNase H activity. Both non ionic detergents and sulfhydryl compounds stabilise the enzyme activity in vitro.

• Efficient reverse transcription of templates with high secondary structure
• Stable at higher reaction temperatures (37 to 58 °C)

Applications: First-strand synthesis of cDNA from RNA molecules; sequencing of RNA transcripts.