SR8278 inhibits cell proliferation independent of REV-ERB

SR8278 has been reported to be an antagonist of the REV-ERB proteins. In this work, we treated HaCaT cells with SR8278 and used RNA-seq to identify genes that were significantly altered by treatment. Genes involved in cell proliferation and the G1/S phase transition were a major group of altered genes. We confirmed the RNA-seq results with RT-qPCR and western blotting. Furthermore, SR8278 treatment slowed the growth of HaCaT and other cell lines. Using CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing, we generated REV-ERB alpha, REV-ERB beta, and REV-ERB alpha/beta double-knockout HaCaT cells and found that SR8278's effects were independent of REV-ERB. The data include those generated by RT-qPCR, western blotting, and cell viability assays.