SENSE: a fast RNA-seq library preparation protocol with superior strand specificity

Introduction With the rapid development of next-generation sequencing technologies, RNA-seq has become the method of choice for transcriptome analysis. Most next-generation sequencing platforms require library construction prior to sequencing, and several current mRNA-seq library preparation protocols conserve the strand orientation of transcripts. This allows the specific assignment of reads to one strand of the genome and enables the discovery and quantification of antisense transcripts as well as overlapping genes transcribed from opposite strands. However, current RNA-seq protocols do not provide sufficient strand specificity; reads mapping to both strands are generated during library preparation through a number of mechanisms, and this background noise obscures the detection of antisense transcripts. SENSE provides unprecedented strand specificity, allowing the detection and accurate quantification of antisense transcripts by minimizing false-positive reads.