Mate-Pair Sequencing Is Having a Moment

Have you been noticing the mate-pair trend? We certainly have. A technique that was once only used by a handful of labs has really come into its own as one of the preferred ways of gathering longer-range genomic data.

Here at Sage, what we like most about mate-pair sequencing is that it’s a clever way of gleaning new information that provides incredible downstream value, making assemblies significantly better. These long-range glimpses of an organism’s genome are enabling more accurate views of biology.

We’ve heard a lot about mate-pair sequencing at conferences we’ve attended recently. For instance, the new Revolocity system from Complete Genomics that was on display at ASHG uses mate-pair assembly to improve results. A recent publication from Lucigen scientists used mate-pair sequencing to improve assembly quality for an anaerobic bacterium cultured from a boiling spring.

Sage customers have been doing a lot of great work with mate-pair sequencing as well. At The Genome Analysis Centre, scientists developed a mate-pair method using SageELF that allows for lower-input samples while saving time and money. That method was essential for the new, highly contiguous wheat genome assembly the centre just released, where it helped boost contig N50 by a factor of 10. At RIKEN, researchers modified a Nextera mate-pair protocol to reduce costs. By using BluePippin earlier in the protocol, they were able to increase yield; they also reduced enzyme volumes for other steps and got high-quality results. In this app note, scientists from the University of Miyazaki also use BluePippin with Nextera for a mate-pair pipeline.

To learn more about how Sage customers are using and improving mate-pair sequencing, check out this page.

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