Transcriptomics and next-generation sequencing company Lexogen released its new CORALL RNA-Seq V2 whole transcriptome library prep kit.

Whole-transcriptome analysis with RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) allows lab professionals to determine RNA molecules in a sample at the moment of sampling. The transcriptome is a dynamic cellular feature and RNA-Seq helps with discovery potential.

Among the most common applications of RNA-Seq are gene expression studies. For example, transcriptional changes in response to drug treatment or during various states of development, as well as alternative splicing studies and analysis of transcript isoforms in different tissues or in health and disease.

CORALL RNA-Seq V2 builds on the proprietary Displacement/Stop and Ligation technologies introduced previously. It is a fast and flexible kit for whole transcriptome sequencing with a wide input range and exceptional performance even for low input (down to 1 ng total RNA) and compromised samples. In contrast to conventional WTS RNA-Seq, CORALL library preparation requires only six steps and can be completed in four and a half hours. CORALL does not require RNA fragmentation and is thus suited for processing of highly degraded RNA or FFPE material.

CORALL RNA-Seq V2 adds several improvements to the technology, enhancing the performance and robustness of the kit and introducing the possibility to adjust the library size without using RNA fragmentation. This new feature makes CORALL RNA-Seq V2 ideal for challenging RNA-Seq applications, such as isoform detection, transcript (re)-annotation or the study of fusion transcripts.

The kit is available as standalone, as mRNA-Seq bundle including poly(A) selection and as Total RNA-Seq bundle including RiboCop rRNA depletion for highest quality in performance.

“We can support our researchers very well using Lexogen’s CORALL RNA-Seq Library preparation,” says Pamela Nicholson, PhD, manager of the next generation sequencing platform at the University of Bern in Switzerland. “We find the protocol to be straight-forward and can generate very consistent libraries perfect for standard RNA-Seq projects—With CORALL RNA-Seq V2 we now have the choice to generate libraries with longer insert sizes […]. This is very useful, for example, for RNA-Seq for non-model organisms, for improved mapping for demanding projects, and for projects characterizing isoforms.”