Full-length mRNA-Seq from single-cell levels of RNA and individual circulating tumor cells.

ABSTRACT: Genome-wide transcriptome analyses are routinely used to monitor tissue-, disease- and cell type–specific gene expression, but it has been technically challenging to generate expression profiles from single cells. Here we describe a robust mRNA-Seq protocol (Smart-Seq) that is applicable down to single cell levels. Compared with existing methods, Smart-Seq has improved read coverage across transcripts, which enhances detailed analyses of alternative transcript isoforms and identification of single-nucleotide polymorphisms. We determined the sensitivity and quantitative accuracy of Smart-Seq for single-cell transcriptomics by evaluating it on total RNA dilution series. We found that although gene expression estimates from single cells have increased noise, hundreds of differentially express

SUBMITTER: Ramskold D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3467340 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature