Overview

Metatranscriptome sequencing delivers the whole expression profile by randomly sequencing mRNAs and tracks the dynamics of gene expression patterns in microbial communities using next-generation sequencing (NGS). This assay generates data to study activity of a microbiome community in the context of the niche or any aspects of health and disease. Typically, microbiome assay uses 16S rRNA gene sequencing to look at overall bacterial diversity or shotgun metagenomics to determine the functional potential of microbes at the strain level. To complement these DNA-based methods, RNA sequencing, or meta- transcriptomics, provides direct information about active gene expression to understand the metabolic profile of the microbiome. This assay requires a high quality RNA as input. This workflow involves removal of ribosomal rRNAs species prior to sequencing library preparation which enables researchers to focus on analyzing high-value, informative portions of the transcriptome. RNAseq libraries are sequenced on NextSeq550 or NovaSeq6k flow cells to generate 50-100 Million reads per sample.

Technology

We use the following commercially available kits and platforms for sequencing library preparation and sequencing.

• KAPA Biosystem RNA library prep kit
• Zymo Research RNAseq library prep kit
• NextSeq550-High Output Flow cell
• NovaSeq6k-S4

Key Features

• Gene expression analysis
• Pathway analysis
• Metabolite prediction
• Antibiotic potential prediction