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mRNA Sequencing

mRNA sequencing service

The Cancer Genomics Center of UTHealth can help you study transcriptomes of your samples via RNA-seq. The RNA you provided will be transferred to cDNA followed by ligation of adapters and then the cDNA will be sequenced by Illumina equipment. The major applications for RNA-seq include, but are not limited to, detecting differentially expressed genes, splicing, mutations at the mRNA level, gene fusions, and non-coding RNA expression.

Sample guideline

Service Sample type Minimum amount Minimum concentration Quality
mRNA-seq Total RNA 1 µg 20 ng/µL RIN>7.0
  • *RIN stands for RNA integrity number, which is evaluated using the 28S to 18S rRNA ratio.
  • *Please use Qubit to measure DNA/RNA concentration.
  • *Please provide Bioanalyzer results for your sample if it is available.

An Introduction to RNA-seq

Service workflow

Sequencing service workflow diagram showing steps from sample submission. Sample diagram steps read Total RNA, Purify and fragment mRNA, First strand cDNA, Second strand cDNA, Ends repair and addition, Adapter ligation, Purification, PCR amplification, Sequencing.

Analysis pipeline (general purpose)

Analysis pipeline diagram outlining the bioinformatics steps from raw sequencing data to final annotated results. Diagram steps read Illumina sequencing, Raw data, Data quality control, Reference genome mapping, Gene expression analysis, Differentially expressed gene analysis, Functional enrichment analysis, Gene regulation analysis, Protein-protein interaction network analysis.