LC Sciences
First miRNA Microarray Service Provider to Offer Sanger's miRBase
10.0 Probe Content
Released
on = August 9, 2007, 10:46 am
Press
Release Author = LC Sciences
Industry
= Biotech
Press
Release Summary = Taking advantage of its flexible µParaflo™
Chip Technology, Houston based LC Sciences today announced immediate
availability of probe content miRBase 10.0 for their microRNA (miRNA)
microarray customers. This announcement comes less than a week after
Sanger Institute’s update of their sequence database for known
miRNAs (miRBase)1 to version 10.0
Press
Release Body = Taking advantage of its flexible µParaflo™
Chip Technology, Houston based LC Sciences today
announced immediate availability of probe content miRBase
10.0 for their microRNA (miRNA) microarray customers. This
announcement comes less than a week after Sanger Institute’s
update of their sequence database for known miRNAs
(miRBase)1 to version 10.0 (http://microrna.sanger.ac.uk/sequences/).
As the jump in version numbers from 9.2 to 10.0 suggests, this update
marks a major milestone and features significant changes: 489 new
hairpin sequences and 971 novel mature miR and miR* experimentally
verified products have been added.
These numbers represent an increase of unique miRNA
sequences by 42%. “This exciting increase in data means
that researchers using pre-spotted glass arrays with probe content
based on versions as recent as 9.1 are missing 49% of mouse, and
more than 50% of human sequences, just to give two examples. The
other important point is that these sequences are experimentally
verified and publicly available data. Unlike with proprietary probe
content the researcher has full access and control over the results.”
said Chris Hebel, Director of Business Development at LC
Sciences.
The
importance of this update is emphasized by another aspect of the
release: many human, mouse and rat mature miRNAs
were renamed and the sequence boundaries changed to reflect the
predominant forms identified in recent large-scale cloning studies.
The public miRBase sequence database serves as
the primary probe content for many commercially available miRNA
profiling microarrays. Detection of miRNAs using
a microarray offers the opportunity for genome-wide miRNA expression
profiling by examining all known miRNA transcripts
in a single experiment. However, the continued updating of the database
can be problematic for researchers using pre-spotted glass slide
arrays as the probe content of the arrays immediately goes out of
date whenever a new miRBase version is released. Especially, in
a rapidly evolving field as miRNA research it is
important to scientists to have the most complete picture of miRNAs
expressed in their experimental samples.
LC Sciences miRNA microarrays make use of a microfluidics
on-chip synthesis platform, termed µParaFlo™,versus
a traditional spotted array based on pre-synthesized oligonucleotides.
This on-chip synthesis platform solves the issue of out of date
microarrays because made-to-order microarrays can be produced, delivering
the most up-to-date research tools to researchers.
In addition to providing much more uniform and reproducible features
than a spotted array, on-chip synthesis permits the total customization
of content on each individual microarray opening up additional applications
such as the discovery of new miRNAs and other small
non-coding RNAs.
About microRNA (miRNA)
miRNAs are small non-protein-coding RNA molecules that
function as negative regulators of gene expression by base pairing
with specific mRNAs. This either inhibits translation or promotes
mRNA degradation. About miRBase
- The miRBase sequence database is a comprehensive
database of miRNA sequence data, annotation, and
predicted gene targets and is the primary public repository for
these data. Release 10.0 of the database contains 5071 entries representing
hairpin precursor miRNAs, expressing 4922 mature
miRNA products, in primates, rodents, birds, fish,
worms, flies, plants and viruses (miRBase release summary). miRBase
also provides a gene-naming service for assigning official miRNA
names to novel miRNAs before they are published.
It is freely available to all at http://microrna.sanger.ac.uk/.
About LC Sciences
LC Sciences offers specialty microarray services for nucleic
acid/protein profiling and functional analysis, biomarker-discovery,
and novel drug screening. Our array service products are based on
Atactic Technologies’ µParaflo™
platform technologies that encompass advanced digital chemical synthesis,
pico-liter scale biochemical assays, and microfluidic reaction devices
containing high density individual 3D chambers.
More information about LC Sciences is available
at http://www.LCsciences.com.
1. Griffiths-Jones S, Grocock R, van Dongen S, Bateman A, Enright
A. miRBase: microRNA sequences, targets and gene nomenclature. Nucleic
Acids Res 34(Database issue), D140–D144.
Web
Site = http://www.lcsciences.com
Contact
Details = 2575 West Bellfort Street
Suite 270
Houston, TX 77054
713-664-7087
FAX 713-664-8181
info@lcsciences.com
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