Tapestri Targeted RNA Profiling Rivals Whole-Transcriptome Cell Type Identification

This application note evaluates the concordance of the Mission Bio Tapestri® single-cell multiomic platform with 10x Genomics® Chromium™ single-cell whole-transcriptome sequencing platform for Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell (PBMC) cell type identification. Utilizing a targeted 25-gene RNA panel, the Tapestri platform resolves major immune cell populations including B cells, CD4 T cells, CD8 T cells, monocytes, and NK cells with equivalent resolution seen on the Chromium platform.

Additionally, statistical evaluations demonstrated high concordance in relative gene expression rankings and single-cell distribution patterns between platforms. The targeted RNA assay maintains a quantitative differential expression with a correlation coefficient of R = 0.94 when compared to whole-transcriptome sequencing. Furthermore, the Tapestri platform uniquely enables simultaneous co-detection of DNA variants, including SNVs, indels, gene editing events, and copy number variations, and targeted gene expression from the same individual cell. This capability supports applications in genotype-to-phenotype linkage, clonal evolution tracking, and genome editing safety evaluations.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can a targeted single-cell RNA panel match whole-transcriptome sequencing for cell type identification?

• Yes, a curated targeted RNA panel can deliver cell type identification equivalent to whole-transcriptome single-cell RNA-seq when the panel is designed around canonical lineage markers.

Is targeted single-cell RNA-seq a replacement for 10x Genomics Chromium whole-transcriptome sequencing?

• No, targeted single-cell RNA profiling is a complement to whole-transcriptome sequencing, not a replacement, with each platform optimized for a different phase of the research-to-translation workflow.

What is the difference between targeted single-cell RNA-seq and whole-transcriptome single-cell RNA-seq?

• Targeted single-cell RNA-seq measures a defined panel of biologically relevant genes (typically tens to hundreds) at high coverage per gene, while whole-transcriptome single-cell RNA-seq attempts to measure all expressed genes (~20,000) at lower per-gene coverage.