RNA-seq versus microarray

Metatranscriptomics (RNA-seq)

Microarrays have achieved its technological limits and hence in many studies mircoarrays are increasingly replaced by RNA sequencing.

RNA-seq

  • does not require a priori knowledge of the RNA sequence

      • discover novel transcripts (gene finding)

      • detect single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)

  • increasing accuracy

      • provides absolute transcript levels (more precise than hybridization)

      • no cross-hybridization issues

  • larger range from small to high expression levels

      • better accuracy in very small and very large values

But RNA-seq is still more expensive than microarray technology and requires higher computational resources for storing and analyzing the data.


Read more

https://www.illumina.com/technology/next-generation-sequencing/mrna-seq.html