Services

Microarrays:

We maintain contacts with commercial service providers in Berlin that give all groups at the MPI-MP affordable access to expression profiling with Affymetrix and Agilent microarrays.

Next Generation Sequencing:

Transcriptome sequencing (RNA-Seq) is currently substituting microarrays as the preferred method for transcript profiling. Obvious advantages of RNA-Seq compared to microarrays are that i) all transcripts can be quantified, not only those represented on the array; ii) RNA-Seq functions independently of sequence polymorphisms that may cause hybridisation artefacts with arrays; iii) RNA-Seq can be used on species for which no microarrays are available, thus extending transcriptome profiling beyond model species. We are not performing the sequencing in-house, but rather collaborate closely with the Max-Planck Genome Centre in Cologne (http://mpgc.mpipz.mpg.de) and various commercial service providers. In close collaboration with the Central Infrastructure Group Bioinformatics and the Applied Metabolome Analysis Group we are also exploring improved ways of transcriptome data analysis and of integrated analysis of transcriptome and metabolome data.

qRT-PCR:

The Real-Time qPCR facilities currently comprise four 384-well readers, one 96-well reader and a pipetting robot. We provide regular maintenance of the equipment, organize access to the equipment through an intranet booking system, give regular introductions to new members of the institute and maintain a dedicated email distribution for the registered users.

Enzyme Activity Profiling:

We are offering a service to institute members to measure enzyme activities using a dedicated 96-well plate system. We can currently measure activities of 34 different enzymes, mostly related to carbon and nitrogen metabolism.