Table 1 Comparison of different RNA sequencing platforms
From: RNA sequencing: new technologies and applications in cancer research
Platform | Company | Read length(bases) | Run time | Volume per run | Cost | Template preparation | Sequencing chemistry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The first-generation sequencing | |||||||
Sanger | Life sciences | 800Â bp | 2Â h | 1 read | $2400 per million bases | Bacterial cloning | Dideoxynucleosides terminator |
The next-generation sequencing | |||||||
Roche 454 pyrosequencing | 454 Life sciences | 700 bp |  < 24 h | 0.7 Gb | $10 per million bases | Emulsion PCR | Sequencing by synthesis, pyrosequencing |
Illumina HiSeq | Illumina | 100 bp | 3–10 days | 120–1500 Gb | $0.02—$0.07 per million bases | Bridge PCR | Reversible terminator sequencing |
Illumina MiSeq | Illumina | 100 bp | 1–2 days | 0.3–15 Gb | $0.13 per million bases | Bridge PCR | Reversible terminator sequencing |
SOLiD | Applied biosystems instruments (ABI) | 50–75 bp | 7–14 days | 30 Gb | $0.13 per million bases | Emulsion PCR | Sequencing by ligation |
DNA nanoball sequencing | Complete genomics | 440–500 bp | 9 days | 20–60 Gb | $4400/genome | Rolling circle replication | Hybridization and ligation |
Ion torrent | 454 Life sciences | 200–500 bp | 4–5 h | 660 Mb; 11 Mb | $300 to $750 per run | Emulsion PCR | Sequencing by synthesis |
The third-generation sequencing | |||||||
SMRT | Pacific biosciences |  > 900 bp | 1-2 h | 0.5–1 Gb | $2 per million bases | No need | Sequencing by synthesis |
Helicos sequencing | Helicos biosciences | 25–60 bp | 8 days | 21–35 Gb | $0.01 per million bases | No need | Hybridization and synthesis |
Nanopore sequencing | Oxford nanopore technologies | Up to 98 kb | 48/72 h | Up to 30 Gb |  < $1 per million bases | No need | Nanopore |