A total RNA-Seq screen reveals that the splicing inhibitor Isoginkgetin blocks transcription elongation

Pharmacological perturbation is a powerful tool for understanding gene expression, but identification of the specific steps of this multi-step process targeted by small molecules remains challenging. Here we apply total RNA-Seq to distinguish specific pharmacological effects on transcription and pre-mRNA processing, revealing unexpectedly that the splicing inhibitor isoginkgetin blocks transcription elongation.An RNA-Seq screen reveals that the compounds TBBz and CYT387 mimic the transcriptional effects of isoginkgetin and are inhibitors of CSNK2A2, suggesting that isoginkgetin blocks transcription elongation via inhibition of CSNK2A2. Our results reveal RNA-Seq screening as a tool for disentangling complex pharmacological effects on gene expression. Total RNA sequencing of drug treated Hela cells for 6 or 18 hours.