Sample Submission Guidelines

GTAC@MGI provides comprehensive guidelines for submitting samples across a wide array of platforms. Please review the specific requirements for your project to ensure high-quality data generation and efficient processing of your short-read, long-read, single cell, spatial, high-plex proteomics, high-throughput qPCR, and microarray samples.

Prior to sample receipt, complete a Service Request here. A printout of the Service Request must be included with the material.

Tubes: Strip tubes and screw cap tubes will not be accepted.

Sample QC

Sample (Nucleic Acid) QC Only sample submission guidelines.

Sample (Nucleic Acid) QC Only

  • Tubes: Prepare samples in clearly labeled and well-organized 1.7 mL flip-cap microcentrifuge tubes.
  • Plates: For projects with 48 or more samples, prepare samples in clearly labeled, securely sealed 96-well full-skirted PCR v-bottom plates. Arrange samples vertically by column (A1, B1, C1, and so on).
  • Volume: 3µl or more per sample. If requesting both Qubit and Agilent services, 5µl or more.
  • Concentration: Must be within range for the selected assay type.

RNA

RNA sample submission guidelines and RNA seq input recommendations.

RNA Sample Submission Guidelines

  • Tubes: Prepare samples in clearly labeled and well-organized 1.7 mL flip-cap microcentrifuge tubes.
  • Plates: For projects with 48 or more samples, prepare samples in clearly labeled, securely sealed 96-well full-skirted PCR v-bottom plates. Arrange samples vertically by column (A1, B1, C1, and so on).
  • Solvent: RNase free water.
  • RNA should be DNase treated and purified.

PolyA selection

  • Input Quantity: 1 to 5ug
  • Volume: more than 10µl
  • Concentration: 20ng/µl or more
  • Quality: RIN greater than 8, DNA-free

RiboErase (human / mouse / rat)

  • Input Quantity: 500ng to 1ug
  • Volume: more than 10µl
  • Concentration: 50ng/µl or more
  • Quality: Compatible with degraded RNA if all samples degraded similarly, DNA-free

FastSelect (human / mouse / rat)

  • Input Quantity: 500ng to 1ug
  • Volume: more than 10µl
  • Concentration: 50ng/µl or more
  • Quality: Compatible with degraded RNA if all samples degraded similarly, DNA-free

FastSelect with rRNA and globin depletion (whole blood)

  • Input Quantity: 500ng to 1ug
  • Volume: more than 10µl
  • Concentration: 56ng/µl or more
  • Quality: Compatible with degraded RNA if all samples degraded similarly, DNA-free

Watchmaker with rRNA and globin depletion (human / mouse / rat)

  • Input Quantity: 100ng to 1ug
  • Volume: more than 10µl
  • Concentration: 6ng/µl or more
  • Quality: Compatible with degraded RNA if all samples degraded similarly, DNA-free

Takara SMARTseq mRNA (low input)

  • Input Quantity: 10ng or more
  • Volume: more than 10µl
  • Concentration: 1.1ng/µl or more
  • Quality: RIN greater than 8, DNA-free

Sigma SeqPlex

  • Quantity: 10ng or more (FFPE samples: 50ng)
  • Volume: more than 10µl
  • Concentration: 1.2ng/µl or more (FFPE samples: 6ng/µl or more)
  • Quality: Compatible with degraded RNA, often utilized for FFPE, DNA-free

DNA

DNA sample submission guidelines, DNA input recommendations, ChIP seq, and amplicon seq.

DNA Sample Submission Guidelines

  • Tubes: Prepare samples in clearly labeled and well-organized 2D matrix tubes (preferred) or 1.7 mL flip-cap microcentrifuge tubes.
  • Solvent: Appropriate elution buffer (for example, 10mM Tris HCl).

Kapa Hyper PCR free

  • Input Quantity: 600ng to 1ug or more
  • Volume: 20µl or more
  • Concentration: 20 to 100ng/µl
  • Increased data targets may require additional starting material.

Kapa Hyper amplified

  • Input Quantity: 100ng to 500ng or more
  • Volume: 20µl or more
  • Concentration: 10 to 100ng/µl
  • Increased data targets may require additional starting material.

IDT cfDNA FFPE WGS with PCR

  • Input Quantity: 5 to 100ng or more
  • Volume: 20µl or more
  • Concentration: 2 to 100ng/µl

NEB EM seq Methyl Seq

  • Input Quantity: 10 to 200ng or more
  • Volume: 20µl or more
  • Concentration: 4 to 100ng/µl

IDT WGBS Methyl Seq

  • Input Quantity: 100 to 200ng or more
  • Volume: 20µl or more
  • Concentration: 4 to 100ng/µl

ChIP seq

  • Solvent: DNase free water
  • Fragment to 150 to 500bp prior to IP
  • Input Quantity: 10ng
  • Volume: more than 10 to 30µl
  • Concentration: 0.33ng/µl or more

Amplicon seq

  • Discuss with GTAC@MGI prior to request to confirm suitability.
  • Pool or concatemerized amplicons will be uniquely dual indexed.
  • Minimum sequencing for NovaSeq X shared lane: 150M read pairs

Prepared Libraries

Prepared libraries sequencing only, and prepared libraries plus final library QC.

Prepared Libraries Sample Submission Guidelines

View our Sequencing Prepared Libraries Guidelines: Sequencing Prepared Libraries (NovaSeq X Plus)

Solvent: Nuclease free water or buffer.

Prepared Libraries (Sequencing Only)

  • Tubes: Prepare libraries in clearly labeled and well-organized 2D matrix tubes (preferred) or 1.7 mL flip-cap microcentrifuge tubes. If submitting 30 tubes or more, request 2D tubes from GTAC@MGI.
  • Indicate uneven pooling ratios if needed in the sample manifest.
  • Volume: 30µl or more
  • Concentration: 5 to 30nM
  • Additional qPCR charges apply if libraries or pools are outside this range.
  • When requesting a full 1.5B or 10B lane, submit 300µl or more at 5nM or more.
  • When requesting a full 25B lane, submit 480µl or more at 5nM or more.

Prepared Libraries (plus Final Library QC)

  • Tubes: Prepare libraries in clearly labeled and well-organized 1.7 mL flip-cap microcentrifuge tubes or 96-well PCR plates.
  • Indicate uneven pooling ratios if needed in the sample manifest.
  • Concentration: 5 to 30nM
  • Volume: individual libraries 10 to 20µl; pool of libraries 30µl or more
  • Low volume or concentration libraries may be rejected if we cannot make a balanced pool to meet minimum of 5nM in 30µl.

Single Cell and Spatial

Single cell and spatial sample submission guidelines.

10x Genomics

  • Tubes: Prepare samples in clearly labeled and well-organized 1.7 mL flip-cap microcentrifuge tubes.
  • Date and time of delivery must be scheduled with 10x Single Cell Core prior to sample delivery. Samples are processed immediately upon receipt.
  • No additional QC or recount will be performed at GTAC@MGI; cell or nuclei concentration must be determined by the collaborator.
  • Cells or nuclei must be delivered on ice.

Nuclei scRNAseq

  • Input Quantity: 900 to 1600 nuclei/µl
  • Volume: 30µl or more (OCM: 10µl or more)
  • Solvent: 1x PBS with 1 percent BSA and 0.2U/µl RNase inhibitor

Nuclei Multiome (snRNAseq + ATACseq)

  • Input Quantity: 3500 to 4000 nuclei/µl
  • Volume: 5µl or more
  • Solvent: Multiome ATAC-GEX
Multiome ATAC-GEX reference: Multiome ATAC-GEX image

Cells scRNAseq

  • Input Quantity: 900 to 1600 cells/µl
  • Volume: 30µl or more (OCM: 10µl or more)
  • Solvent: 1x PBS with 0.04 percent BSA
  • Viability (90 percent or more) and removal of cell debris is critical; the instrument cannot distinguish dead cells or debris.

GEM-X FLEX scRNAseq and snRNAseq (human / mouse)

  • SinglePlex or MultiPlex (1 to 16 samples)
  • Input Quantity: 100K to 500K fixed cells per sample for MultiPlex

Visium HD Spatial (human / mouse)

  • FFPE and FF blocks accepted
  • Quality: DV200 greater than 50 percent

Xenium Spatial

  • FFPE and FF blocks accepted
  • Quality: DV200 greater than 50 percent, minimum 30 percent
  • Processing of species beyond human and mouse available through custom panels

Long-Read

Long-read sample submission guidelines.

Contact cmarkovi@wustl.edu for instructions.

High-Plex Proteomics

High-plex proteomics sample submission guidelines.

SomaLogic SomaScan

View our Sample Submission Guidelines for SomaScan: GTAC@MGI Submissions SomaScan

Illumina Protein Prep

View our Sample Submission Guidelines for Illumina Protein Prep: GTAC@MGI Submissions Illumina Protein Prep

High-Throughput qPCR

High-throughput qPCR sample submission guidelines.

High-Throughput qPCR Sample Submission Guidelines

  • Plates: Prepare samples in clearly labeled, securely sealed 96-well full-skirted PCR v-bottom plates. Arrange samples vertically by column (A1, B1, C1, and so on).

Standard BioTools Gene Expression qPCR

  • Input: cDNA
  • Volume: 10µl
  • Concentration: 5 to 10ng/uL typically; dependent on the relative expression and quality of your RNA
  • The amount of Taqman probe needed per run is dependent on the number of replicates and total sample number. This can vary from 11 to 25ul per assay.

Standard BioTools SNP Genotyping qPCR

  • Input: DNA
  • Volume: 5µl
  • Concentration: 50ng/uL

Standard BioTools Targeted Amplicon Sequencing (Juno/Access Array)

  • Contact Us
  • Volume: 5µl
  • Concentration: 75ng/uL
  • Design of primers is done with the help of GTAC. This platform is suited for high numbers of samples with specific targets or genes of interest.

Microarray

Microarray sample submission guidelines.

Microarray Sample Submission Guidelines

  • Plates: Prepare samples in clearly labeled, securely sealed 96-well full-skirted PCR v-bottom plates. Arrange samples vertically by column (A1, B1, C1, and so on).

Illumina Infinium SNP Genotyping

  • Input: DNA
  • Volume: 10µl
  • Concentration: 50ng/uL
  • The above requirements are valid for most chip types. Consult with GTAC to ensure the concentrations are acceptable.

Illumina Infinium DNA Methylation

  • Input: 500ng DNA
  • Volume: Epic Methylation Chip = 45µl; Methylation Screening Array = 20µl