The APOBEC3A Knockout HAP1 Polyclonal Cells product provides a CRISPR/Cas9-edited polyclonal population of HAP1 cells carrying a disrupted APOBEC3A locus. This loss-of-function model is designed for researchers investigating the role of APOBEC3A in innate antiviral defense, somatic mutagenesis, and cancer biology. The polyclonal format offers a heterogeneous knockout pool suitable for pooled functional screens and population-level assays, avoiding clonal bias. The cell population is validated for target gene disruption and is provided as a ready-to-use tool for genetic perturbation experiments.
The HAP1 cell line is a near-haploid human cell line derived from the KBM-7 chronic myeloid leukemia line. Its haploid karyotype makes it a powerful platform for functional genomics, as loss-of-function mutations can be assessed without a second allele. HAP1 cells are widely used in CRISPR knockout screens and mechanistic studies of gene function. They express many innate immune signaling components, enabling dissection of antiviral pathways, though signaling may differ from primary cells.
APOBEC3A is a cytidine deaminase that converts cytidine to uridine in single-stranded DNA, causing C-to-U edits that can induce somatic mutations or, in viral genomes, hypermutation and replication arrest. Its expression is induced by type I interferons (IFN-??/??) via IFNAR, STAT1, and IRF1, as well as by NF-??B and IRF3. APOBEC3A interacts with cofactors such as A1CF, TRIB3, and HIV-1 Vif, the latter targeting it for degradation. It restricts retroviruses like HIV, DNA viruses including HBV and HPV, and inhibits LINE-1 retrotransposition. In uninfected cells, its mutagenic activity contributes to cancer genome evolution.
Using HAP1 for APOBEC3A knockout addresses the redundancy of the APOBEC family and enables clear phenotype interpretation due to haploidy. Upon interferon stimulation, HAP1 cells upregulate APOBEC3A, making them suitable for studying the JAK-STAT pathway and innate antiviral programs. This polyclonal pool is ideal for investigating mutagenesis and viral restriction without clonal bias.
This knockout pool supports diverse experiments. In oncology, it facilitates analysis of APOBEC3A mutational signatures via sequencing and 3D-PCR. Virology applications include viral infectivity assays for HIV, HBV, or HPV. The polyclonal format is suited for CRISPR off-target analysis and pooled screens. Additional uses include interferon stimulation assays with RT-qPCR and immunofluorescence. For technical support, contact Ascent Research.
