Applied Biosystems Expands Sequencing-based RNA Analysis Solutions Portfolio

Applied Biosystems Inc. has announced the development of a sequencing-based molecular tool for the genomic analysis of whole transcriptomes, the vast collection of RNAs transcribed from a genome.

This technology, which provides detailed characterization of expressed protein-encoding genes, identifies many non-coding RNAs, and includes sample multiplexing capability, is expected to be available for limited release through an early access program that will begin in November 2008.

This offering will expand the company’s RNA expression analysis solutions portfolio for use with its SOLiD™ System, the company’s ultra-high-throughput genomic analysis platform.

The Company say that, the SOLiD™ Whole Transcriptome Expression Kit is expected to provide researchers greater insights into biological pathways and molecular mechanisms that regulate cell fate decision, development and disease progression. The kit is designed to provide new views of a cell’s transcriptome, such as expression of non-coding RNAs, identification of alternative splicing events, expressed SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) or mutations, or translocations and fusion transcripts.

The application of the kit should advance treatment of complex diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer, and accelerate time course studies in which analysis of differential RNA expression provides insight into the level and mechanism of action of a particular treatment.

The SOLiD System is capable of generating up to 240 million sequence reads, or tags per run, for RNA expression analysis applications. This is the highest demonstrated throughput for a sequencing-based RNA expression analysis application, the company claims.

To use the SOLiD Whole Transcriptome Expression Kit, researchers first isolate and purify total RNA or mRNA from cell or tissue samples. Since the whole transcriptome kit is not limited to human samples, it can also be used to analyze the transcriptomes of model organisms in agricultural study applications. Ribosomal RNA is removed from these samples, followed by a RNA fragmentation step.

Researchers then hybridize and ligate adapters to these RNA fractions, and a reverse transcription reaction results in double stranded cDNA. Since both adapters are ligated in a defined manner, the strandedness of cDNA is conserved in the resulting library. Data analysis tools will also be available to early access participants, and accessible to all researchers on the SOLiD System Software Community website.