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, 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

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