The present invention provides a method of identifying mRNA transcripts in the
transcriptome of a
cell comprising i) delivering into the
cell a donor
expression vector comprising nucleotides in a sequence encoding a trans-splicing
barcode cassette, wherein the trans-splicing
barcode cassette comprises a) a first portion, the
nucleotide sequence of which encodes an
intron comprising as part of its 3′ end, or followed at its 3′ end by a splice-site
nucleotide sequence; followed at its 3′ end by, b) a second portion, the
nucleotide sequence of which encodes a
barcode polynucleotide; followed at its 3′ end by c) a third portion, which encodes a nucleotide identification element sequence, ii) exposing the
cell to conditions such that the cell produces multiple copies of the trans-splicing barcode cassette encoded by the donor
expression vector, which multiple copies of the trans-splicing barcode cassette each splice the barcode
polynucleotide onto a mRNA transcript of the cell, thereby forming multiple mRNA transcripts of the cell, each spliced to the barcode
polynucleotide; and iii) identifying the multiple mRNA transcripts that are spliced to the barcode polynucleotides, thereby identifying mRNA transcripts in the
transcriptome of the cell.