BioMicroCenter:Illumina Library Preparation

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Generating high quality data on the Illumina sequencing platform begins with generating high quality libraries that have the desired insert size, required Illumina adapters, and pass the BioMicro Center’s Sequencing Quality Control process. The BMC currently offers genomic DNA library preparation as a service; RNA-seq is being tested in beta. For more information on sample prep please contact Ali or Stuart

Traditional Illumina Library Preparation

• DNA Fragmentation - Genomic DNA samples must be fragmented to the point where the majority of the sample is between 100 to 300 base pairs. RNA seq samples are usually fragmented after poly-A selection and before first strand synthesis.
• End Repair – An enzymatic reaction to blunt fragments that may have been damaged during fragmentation
• 3’ dA Addition - An addition of A to the 3’ end to avoid blunt end adapter ligation
• Adapter ligation – The ligation of partial Illumina adapter sequence to the sample fragments, each adapter sequence has a T overhang to avoid blunt ligation. It is very important to maintain a good ratio of sample material to adapter, Illumina recommends a 1:10 ratio, to avoid primer dimmer occurrences post enrichment.
• Size Selection – This step, usually consisting of an agarose gel, is designed so that only the fragments within the desired size range (200 – 400bp) are included in the final library. Size selection is very important, fragments that are too large will create large clusters and can result in a loss of read count in the final data.
• Enrichment – The PCR reaction run during this step amplifies using the complete primer construct required for binding and clustering on the flowcell. It is very important to optimize the number of PCR cycles to generate a sufficient amount of material for clustering but limit PCR biases.
• QC - After the enrichment process samples will be QC'd using theBioAnalyzer and QPCR. For more information on the QC process please visit Sequencing Quality Control

High Throughput Library Preparation

The BMC is currently testing the Beckman SPRIworks library preparation system. This platform is a fully automated library preparation system for Illumina sequencing and supports all Illumina applications except for smallRNA-Seq. It performs all of the traditional Illumina protocol steps listed above, except for Enrichment, and utilizes SPRI beads for size selection. For more information on the SPRIworks platform please visit http://www.spriworks.com/.

Pricing

Priority for Illumina sample prep is currently available for labs associated with the BioMicro Center Core departments. We are able to do Illumina sample prep for other MIT and non-MIT users as space allows on the sequencers. Full pricing information is available at our price list.

Protocols

Protocols for all of the supported technologies can be found by visiting the Protocols page

QC

Quality control is very important to help optimize the number of reads and quality of data produced. For information on QC methods and protocols please visit the Sequencing Quality Control page

All questions about Illumina Sequencing can be directed to Ali Perrotta at aperrott@mit.edu.