LongTREC presents:
Transcriptomics in the era of long-read sequencing
Carolina Monzó, Tianyuan Liu, Ana Conesa
Our genes work by producing RNA copies, called transcripts, that carry the instructions to make proteins. A single gene can produce many different versions of these transcripts, known as isoforms, by combining its pieces in different ways. Studying them is key to understanding how cells work and what goes wrong in disease. For years, scientists have read RNA in short fragments and then tried to reassemble them, a bit like rebuilding a book from shredded pages. This works well for counting genes, but often fails to reveal which complete transcripts are really present.
Long-read sequencing technologies, which read entire RNA molecules from start to finish, have matured greatly over the last five years. In this review, the authors guide readers through the whole long-read RNA-seq workflow: from preparing and sequencing samples to processing the data and analysing the results. They compile an extensive inventory of the experimental and computational methods available and discuss current challenges and future prospects.
As more labs adopt this technology, newcomers need clear resources to find their way. This review offers exactly that: a comprehensive, up-to-date guide that will help researchers design better long-read transcriptomics studies and choose the right tools for their questions.
Read the full text here: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41576-025-00828-z
