Whole transcriptome sequencing is next-generation sequencing that generates a complete set of RNA transcripts from a sample. This method is used to study the expression levels and functional roles of genes in an organism or cell type.
Whole transcriptome sequencing differs from other next-generation sequencing technologies because it produces DNA sequence data and mRNA sequence data. This provides an important resource for studying gene expression patterns and their relationship with genetic variation.
Below are the benefits of whole transcriptome sequencing
Genome-wide coverage
Whole transcriptome sequencing (WTS) or transcriptomics has been used to study the transcriptomes of a wide range of organisms and tissues. In particular, WTS can be used to study the transcriptomes of cancer cells and has important implications for understanding cancer biology.
The large number of transcripts generated by WTS results in high coverage of the transcriptome, allowing the identification of differences between samples. This is especially useful for identifying novel transcripts or variants in alternative splicing events. The high coverage also allows the detection of rare transcripts, which may not be present in sufficient quantities to be detected by other methods.
Quantitative gene expression analysis
Whole transcriptome sequencing (WTS) is a powerful tool for gene expression analysis. It provides a full picture of the transcriptome, which includes the gene expression levels of all the transcripts in a cell or tissue sample.
WTS has become increasingly popular in recent years due to rapid advances in sequencing technologies. In particular, next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have made it possible to perform WTS at an affordable cost, making this technology accessible to more researchers and laboratories than ever before.
Single-cell transcriptomics
WTS is that it can be used to study single cells rather than bulk samples. This allows researchers to compare individual cells with each other and other cell types in the same organism or other organisms.
WTS has been used in several studies to understand how cancer develops and progresses. For example, one study compared healthy and cancerous tissue from breast cancer patients and found that the tumors had different gene expression patterns. This suggests that there may be different stages in the development of breast cancer, which could be important for diagnosis and treatment.
Sorting normal and cancerous cells
By comparing expression patterns between different types of human cells, scientists can determine which genes are associated with specific cancers, normal cellular processes, and other biological features. For example, they can compare immune system T-cells from healthy people with those of people with multiple sclerosis (MS), which involves nerve inflammation throughout the body, resulting in muscle weakness, blurred vision, and other symptoms. Scientists found that T-cells from MS patients had lower levels of certain proteins that help control inflammation than healthy T-cells. This suggests these proteins play an important role in controlling MS symptoms.
Key Takeaway
Whole transcriptome sequencing allows scientists to study a cell’s complete collection of RNA molecules. This method can identify all of the RNA transcripts present in a cell, including those not found on chromosomes. Whole transcriptome sequencing can also be used to study the relative abundance of different types of RNA in cells.
