mRNA-Seq Expands Illumina’s Gene
Expression Product Portfolio, Providing Researchers with Capabilities
for Full-Length cDNA Sequencing of the Transcriptome
Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ:ILMN) today announced the broad availability of
mRNA-Seq, a new product for full-length, complementary DNA (cDNA)
sequencing on the Genome Analyzer. In contrast to tiling and exon
arrays, researchers can use mRNA-Seq to obtain a more in-depth,
comprehensive view of the transcriptome, revealing aspects previously
unseen using array-based or expression sequence tag (EST) technologies.
Beta testing for mRNA-Seq was carried out at multiple research
facilities, including Andy Fire’s Lab at the
Stanford University School of Medicine and James Hadfield’s
lab at Cancer Research UK's - Cambridge Research Institute (CRI). “The
mRNA-Seq protocols from Illumina have proven to be robust and simple to
perform,” said James Hadfield, “We
will be using this technology at CRI to increase our understanding of
cancer biology. The current technology has provided us with our first
detailed look at differential splicing on a genome wide scale.”
mRNA-Seq, powered by Illumina's sequencing technology and the Genome
Analyzer, provides the industry’s most robust
discovery tool for the profiling of mRNA. mRNA-Seq delivers unbiased and
unparalleled information about the transcriptome because it does not
require design of probes or primers. Researchers can use this platform
to quickly generate a full sequence from any poly-A tailed RNA to
discover and profile novel transcripts, novel isoforms, alternative
splice sites, rare transcripts, and cSNPs (coding region single
nucleotide polymorphisms) in one experiment.
“The introduction of mRNA-Seq for full-length
cDNA sequencing further enhances Illumina's suite of sequencing-based
expression profiling products and demonstrates the flexibility of the
Genome Analyzer,” said Adam Lowe, Director of
Product Marketing for the Life Sciences Business at Illumina. “This
technology enables researchers to interrogate the transcriptome at a
level of detail that had not been possible prior to the commercial
availability of next generation sequencing. Simplicity of the sample
preparation and sequencing chemistry, combined with an automated
workflow of the Genome Analyzer II makes it easy for just one person to
generate a rich RNA sequence database in one month.”
To support the large quantities of data generated using mRNA-Seq,
Illumina will launch a primary data analysis software program -
GenomeStudio™.
