Bulk ATAC-seq
Bulk ATAC-seq (Assay for Transposase-Accessible Chromatin with high-throughput sequencing) is a molecular biology technique used to profile chromatin accessibility across the genome in a population of cells. It involves using a hyperactive Tn5 transposase to insert sequencing adapters into open chromatin regions, followed by high-throughput sequencing to identify areas where DNA is accessible for transcription factor binding and gene regulation. This method provides a genome-wide map of regulatory elements, such as promoters and enhancers, without requiring prior knowledge of specific regions.
Developers should learn Bulk ATAC-seq when working in bioinformatics, computational biology, or genomics to analyze epigenetic data for understanding gene regulation, disease mechanisms, or developmental processes. It is used in research on cancer, neuroscience, and immunology to identify regulatory regions and infer transcription factor binding sites from chromatin accessibility patterns. Knowledge of this technique is essential for processing and interpreting sequencing data in tools like bioinformatics pipelines and statistical models.