Single-cell genomic sequencing using Multiple Displacement Amplification
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 11, 2026

An Ultrahigh-throughput Microfluidic Platform for Single-cell Genome Sequencing
Published on: May 23, 2018
1J. Craig Venter Institute, 11149 N. Torrey Pines Rd., Suite 200, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA. rlasken@jcvi.org
Abstract:
Single microbial cells can now be sequenced using DNA amplified by the Multiple Displacement Amplification (MDA) reaction. The few femtograms of DNA in a bacterium are amplified into micrograms of high molecular weight DNA suitable for DNA library construction and Sanger sequencing. The MDA-generated DNA also performs well when used directly as template for pyrosequencing by the 454 Life Sciences method. While MDA from single cells loses some of the genomic sequence, this approach will greatly accelerate the pace of sequencing from uncultured microbes. The genetically linked sequences from single cells are also a powerful tool to be used in guiding genomic assembly of shotgun sequences of multiple organisms from environmental DNA extracts (metagenomic sequences).
Related Concept Videos
Next-generation Sequencing
Next-Generation Sequencing Methods
Although all next-generation methods use different technologies, they all share a set of standard features.
Sanger Sequencing
RNA-seq
Before the discovery of RNA-seq, microarray-based methods and Sanger sequencing were used for transcriptome analysis. However, while microarray-based...

