tagmentation

Tagmentation is a molecular biology technique used in next-generation sequencing (NGS) library preparation. It combines DNA fragmentation and adapter ligation into a single step. The process utilizes a transposase enzyme, often the Tn5 transposase, which is engineered to carry sequencing adapters. This enzyme simultaneously cuts the DNA at specific sites and inserts the adapters into the fragmented DNA. This dual function significantly streamlines the library preparation workflow, reducing hands-on time and potential for contamination. The method is widely adopted due to its efficiency and the high-quality libraries it produces, making it suitable for various genomic applications including whole-genome sequencing, exome sequencing, and ChIP-seq. Tagmentation is particularly useful when working with limited amounts of starting DNA, as the enzyme can efficiently fragment and tag even small quantities. The resulting libraries are then amplified using PCR and prepared for sequencing on platforms like Illumina. The speed and simplicity of tagmentation make it a preferred choice for researchers aiming to accelerate their NGS workflows.