RNA-seq detects pharmacological inhibition of Epstein-Barr virus late transcription during spontaneous reactivation.

The stepwise and sequential expression of viral genes underlies progression of the infectious life cycle. The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is both a tractable model for elucidating principles of transcription as well as a global health threat. We describe an experimental protocol and bioinformatics pipeline for functional identification of EBV true late genes, the last step of transcription prior to virion packaging and egress. All data have been uploaded to the Gene Expression Omnibus under accession code GSE96689. The key improvement over previous approaches is leveraging the sensitivity of RNA-seq to detect gene expression changes during spontaneous reactivation.