Understanding the relationship between a genome’s structure and its function is crucial. Yet, unraveling this relationship has long been a challenge for scientists, particularly when it comes to measuring both the three-dimensional (3D) genome structure and gene expression of individual cells simultaneously. Enter ‘Linking mRNA to Chromatin Architecture (LiMCA)’—a groundbreaking technique that promises to shed new light on the complex interplay between the 3D genome and transcriptome. Developed by a team of researchers at Peking University, LiMCA offers unparalleled sensitivity and the abilit ..read more

The first comprehensive cell atlas of ageing human muscle reveals the intricate genetic and cellular processes behind muscle deterioration and mechanisms to counteract it. How muscle changes with ageing, and tries to fight its effects, is now better understood at the cellular and molecular level with the first comprehensive atlas of ageing muscles in humans. Researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute and their collaborators at Sun Yat-sen University, China applied single-cell technologies and advanced imaging to analyse human skeletal muscle samples from 17 individuals across the adult li ..read more

In biology, each cell tells its own unique story—a narrative shaped by its gene expression profile and molecular interactions. Yet, uncovering these individual narratives within a sea of cellular diversity has long been a daunting task. Enter single-cell genomics—a revolutionary technology that promises to unravel the complex web of cellular heterogeneity with unprecedented precision. However, traditional methods of cell sorting have posed significant challenges, particularly when it comes to isolating rare cell populations with specific marker transcripts. In a groundbreaking study, a t ..read more

Extracellular vesicles are shed by every cell type and can be found in any biofluid. They contain different molecules that can be utilized as biomarkers, including several RNA species which they protect from degradation. Here, researchers at the Technical University of Munich present a pipeline for the development and analysis of extracellular vesicle-associated transcriptomic biomarkers that their group has successfully applied multiple times. The researchers highlight the key steps of the pipeline and give particular emphasis to the necessary quality control checkpoints, which are linked to ..read more

Sequencing of full-length viral RNA reveals molecular-level effect Numerous HIV-1 virus particles replicate from a segment of an H9 T cell, a step in HIV infection supported by the RNA chemical modifications described in the study. A chemical modification in the HIV-1 RNA genome whose function has been a matter of scientific debate is now confirmed to be key to the virus’s ability to survive and thrive after infecting host cells, a new study has found. This change to HIV-1 RNA, a tiny chemical modification on the adenosine building block of RNA known as m6A, is a common RNA editing process i ..read more

Understanding how cells interact with each other is key to unlocking the mysteries of development, disease, and beyond. Recent advancements in single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technology have provided unprecedented insights into the signaling networks that govern these interactions. However, deciphering the complex web of cell-to-cell communication from scRNA-seq data has remained a daunting challenge—until now. A groundbreaking study by researchers at the University of Windsor introduces a novel method called Subgraph Embedding of Gene expression matrix for prediction of CEll-cell COmm ..read more

Lexogen, a biotech company dedicated to advancing RNA research with innovative RNA-Seq products, is pleased to introduce solutions specifically optimized for transcriptomics from challenging FFPE samples. Transcriptome profiling of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples, often referred to as “biobank” samples, provides invaluable information to researchers, especially those studying cancer, drug design and development. However, FFPE samples represent one of the most challenging materials to obtain high-quality RNA-Seq data from, as RNA isolated from FFPE samples is often highly ..read more

Multiomics reduces guesswork to unlock a deeper understanding of complex questions By applying a multiomic approach you can now combine both Genomics and Transcriptomics, helping you understand the cause and of genetic variations. There are multiple ways to combine genomics and transcriptomics, but regardless of which method combination a researcher wants to use, every multiomics experiment follows a similar workflow, making the process easier to follow. Plus, each step in the whole genome and transcriptome sequencing workflow is supported by well-established Illumina kits and devices with cl ..read more

EPFL researchers have developed GEMLI, a pioneering tool that could democratize and vastly improve how we study the journey of cells from their embryonic state through to specialized roles in the body, as well as their changes in cancer and other diseases. Where cells multiply and diversify to form the different parts of organisms, understanding each cell’s origin can be crucial. This is what biologists refer to as “cell lineage” – a family tree, but for cells. Just as you can trace your ancestry back to your grandparents and beyond, scientists can trace how cells divide and evolve from a si ..read more

In the vast expanse of aquatic ecosystems, a hidden world thrives—one inhabited by giant viruses, the enigmatic giants of the microbial world. Despite their global distribution and fundamental roles in shaping ecosystems, much about these giant viruses remains shrouded in mystery. However, a recent study has provided unprecedented insights into their ecology and interactions with their native hosts, shedding light on their ecological importance and impact. Researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science applied a single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) approach to samples collected during a ..read more