RNA-Seq is a technique that uses next-generation sequencing to reveal the presence and quantity of RNA molecules in a biological sample, providing a snapshot of gene expression in the sample, also known as transcriptome.
Examples of alternative RNA splicing modes. Exons are represented as blue and yellow blocks, spliced introns as horizontal black lines connecting two exons, and exon-exon junctions as thin grey connecting lines between two exons.
Image: RNA Seq Pics 1
Typical single-cell RNA-Seq workflow. Single cells are isolated from a sample into either wells or droplets, cDNA libraries are generated and amplified, libraries are sequenced, and expression matrices are generated for downstream analyses like cell type identification.
The transcriptome is the set of all RNA transcripts, including coding and non-coding, in an individual or a population of cells. The term can also sometimes be used to refer to all RNAs, or just mRNA, depending on the particular experiment. The term transcriptome is a portmanteau of the words transcript and genome; it is associated with the process of transcript production during the biological process of transcription.
DNA microarray used to detect gene expression in human (left) and mouse (right) samples
