The post-terminal differentiation fate of RNAs revealed by next-generation sequencing
Journal: eScholarship (California Digital Library)
Year: 2012

Advances in RNA sequencing technology allow for potential applications in areas of personal genomics and molecular diagnostics. However, a rate-limiting step of widespread analysis of the transcriptome is the restricted access to viable tissue samples. The hair follicle is an actively regenerating mini organ and the hair shaft is the output of this organ. Here we report on the discovery of hair shafts as a rich, stable source of mRNA, microRNA, and other RNA species that are amendable to extract