Transcriptomic analysis is the comprehensive study of all messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules transcribed from DNA in a cell or tissue at a specific time โ collectively known as the transcriptome.
๐ Key Concepts Transcriptome: The full set of RNA transcripts (mainly mRNA) expressed by the genome under specific conditions.
Purpose: To understand gene expression patterns, identify disease markers, alternative splicing events, non-coding RNAs, or responses to treatments or environmental stimuli.
๐งช Common Techniques RNA sequencing (RNA-seq): High-throughput sequencing of RNA to quantify gene expression levels.
Microarrays: Older method using hybridization to measure RNA abundance.
qRT-PCR: Quantitative real-time PCR used for targeted validation.
๐ง Applications Cancer research: Identify oncogenes, tumor suppressor activity, or therapy targets.
Neuroscience: Understand cell-type-specific expression in brain regions.
Developmental biology: Track gene activity over time.
Pharmacogenomics: Study how drugs influence gene expression.
โ ๏ธ Limitations Sensitive to RNA quality and degradation.
Requires robust bioinformatics pipelines.
Interpretation may be confounded by cellular heterogeneity.