What are the applications of RNA sequencing?

RNA-seq enables the discovery of novel genes that may not have been previously annotated in the reference genome. By sequencing the entire transcriptome, RNA-seq can uncover novel genes, non-coding RNAs, and alternatively spliced isoforms. RNA-seq also allows for the detection and characterization of alternative splicing events, where different combinations of exons are included or excluded from mRNA transcripts. Splicing analysis with RNA-seq can identify splice variants and quantify their relative abundance. Another application is RNA-seq which allows researchers to compare the levels of gene expression between different samples or conditions. This can involve comparing gene expression in healthy versus diseased tissues.