Editing BioMicroCenter:Nanostring (section)

== Code Sets ==
[[Image:BMC_Nanostring_Codeset.jpg|Frame|thumb|200px|right|alt=none|Binding of an anchor probe and barcode probe to an mRNA]]The Nanostring works by hybridizing the nucleic acid to a code set library. The "codes" are two-part oligos with ~50nt of homology each. The first oligo contains an anchoring sequence while the second contains ~7kb of fluorescently labeled nucleotides in a "barcode" that can be read by the imager. Code sets can include 24-500 different oligo pairs. These codesets, purchased from Nanostring, are the most expensive part of the process. Nanostring has created many [http://www.nanostring.com/products/subpage.asp?id=148 virtual codesets] (e.g. genes involved in angiogenesis or apoptosis)or can create custom code sets. 
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[[Media:BioMicroCenter_Nanstring_Mouse_2010.xlsx|List of predesigned mouse Nanostring probes]]

[[Image:Materna_et_al.,_2010.TIF|Frame|thumb|200px|left|alt=none|Black: Nanostring nCounter results Green: qPCR results]] Code sets provide the ability for highly multiplexed experiments with similar results to standard mRNA expression measurements done with [http://openwetware.org/wiki/BioMicroCenter:RTPCR qPCR].  A study ([http://pubget.com/paper/20398801 Materna et al., 2010]) on the prevalence of 172 transcription factors and signaling molecules in early sea urchin development was done using the Nanostring nCounter; a subset of these were compared to qPCR.  The expression profiles created using nCounter were mostly in agreement with the qPCR results, if a significant difference in prevalence was observed the nCounter usually provided higher prevalence results.