The Applied Biosystems scientists will present data at the Connecticut Stem Cell Technology Symposium revealing how the company’s ultra-high-throughput genomic analysis platform, the SOLiD™ System. Gene expression signatures at the single cell level have the potential to reveal details about cell fate and will potentially accelerate the discovery of biomarkers for disease.

In this study, scientists first isolated individual embryonic cells from mouse oocytes and extracted total RNA using RNA isolation kits from Ambion, An Applied Biosystems business. Using trace amounts of total RNA, the starting material was converted into cDNA. The resulting libraries were amplified and sequenced using the SOLiD System. Relative expression levels of mRNAs were calculated based on the number of sequence tags generated by the system. With a throughput of up to 240 million tags per run and sensitivity capable of detecting 10 - 40 picograms of total RNA per cell, the SOLiD System quantified differential expression patterns of identified mRNAs profiling both known and unknown mRNA species present in the samples, including mRNAs expressed at low levels.

Previous research has shown that by profiling expression patterns of genes and non-coding RNAs, researchers can obtain a more accurate view of the transcriptome by cell or tissue type, which may accelerate the discovery of potential biomarkers to classify different disease types and identify disease susceptibility.

This information will help researchers to better understand the nature of diseased cells, such as cancer stem cells, which play a key role in cancer recurrence and tumor metastasis.This application of the SOLiD System demonstrates Applied Biosystems’ commitment to accelerating transcriptome analysis on ultra-high-throughput genomic platforms. In addition to single cell gene expression profiling, other SOLiD System RNA applications include small RNA discovery and screening using the SOLiD Small RNA Expression Kit, and whole transcriptome discovery and characterization using the SOLiD Whole Transcriptome Kit. This full complement of applications allows researchers to conduct comprehensive RNA-based studies on a single, ultra-high-throughput platform.

One of the lead researchers of the study Dr. Surani said,

“While all embryonic stem cells possess an innate ability to self renew, recent scientific data suggests that undifferentiated embryonic stem cells are heterogeneous and differentially express gene markers. Gene expression profiling on the SOLiD System will enable the generation of a precise, whole genome profile of stem cells, including known transcripts and novel genes, at single cell resolution, which will deepen our understanding of the biological mechanisms regulating pluripotency and early differentiation.”

Source: Business Wire