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High-throughput transcriptomics has revolutionised research through simplification of large and labour-intensive experiments, enabling rapid evaluation of interventions and biological processes. Transcriptomic techniques and analyses vary widely depending on the focus of the research, providing high-resolution data on a small number of genes, or information on the whole transcriptome. The focus of this Collection is on gathering the latest research into a wide variety of transcriptomic technologies, and work which utilises these powerful techniques to further our understanding of biological processes.
High-throughput transcriptomics has revolutionised the field of transcriptome research by offering a cost-effective and powerful screening tool. Standard bulk RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) enables characterisation of the average expression profiles for individual samples and facilitates identification of the molecular functions associated with genes differentially expressed across conditions. RNA-Seq can also be applied to disentangle splicing variants and discover novel transcripts, thus contributing to a comprehensive understanding of the transcriptome landscape. A closely related technique, single-cell RNA-Seq, has enabled the study of cell-type-specific gene expressions in hundreds to thousands of cells, aiding the exploration of cell heterogeneity. Nowadays, bulk RNA-Seq and single-cell RNA-Seq serve as complementary tools to advance and accelerate the development of transcriptome-based resources. This Collection illustrates how the current global research community makes use of these techniques to address a broad range of questions in life sciences. It demonstrates the usefulness and popularity of high-throughput transcriptomics and presents the best practices and potential issues for the benefit of future end-users.