The B2M Knockout TE1 Polyclonal Cells are a CRISPR/Cas9-edited polyclonal knockout pool derived from the human TE1 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma line, with targeted disruption of the B2M gene. This heterogeneous population eliminates functional beta-2-microglobulin, providing a loss-of-function model for MHC class I studies. The polyclonal format avoids clonal selection artifacts and preserves cellular diversity, making it suitable for population-level immune assays and tumor biology research.
The TE1 cell line originates from a well-differentiated human esophageal squamous carcinoma and is widely used in cancer research. These adherent epithelial cells retain tumorigenic properties and interferon-gamma responsiveness, offering a relevant platform for investigating immune evasion mechanisms in esophageal cancer.
B2M encodes beta-2-microglobulin, which stabilizes MHC class I heavy chains (HLA-A, HLA-B, HLA-C) for antigen presentation to CD8+ T cells. Within the endoplasmic reticulum, beta-2-microglobulin associates with the peptide loading complex??including TAP1, TAP2, tapasin, calreticulin, and ERp57??to facilitate peptide loading and MHC class I transport. B2M expression is regulated by interferon-gamma (IFNG) via STAT1 and IRF1, as well as by NF-kB and TNF signaling. Disruption of B2M abrogates MHC class I surface expression, impairing CD8+ T cell recognition and promoting immune evasion, yet may enhance NK cell cytotoxicity due to absent inhibitory KIR and LILR interactions.
In TE1 cells, B2M knockout recapitulates MHC class I loss, a frequent immune evasion strategy in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma that correlates with poor prognosis. This model enables dissection of tumor-immune dynamics, including CD8+ T cell evasion and NK cell sensitization, facilitating studies on the balance between adaptive and innate immune pressures in the tumor microenvironment.
Applications include flow cytometry for MHC class I validation, western blotting and RT-qPCR for B2M expression, and co-culture cytotoxicity assays with CD8+ T cells or NK cells. The cells are also suitable for IFN-gamma stimulation tests and immunopeptidomics to interrogate antigen presentation alterations. Researchers can use this model for screening immune checkpoint inhibitors or novel immunotherapies targeting MHC class I-independent pathways. For further details or to request a quote, please contact Ascent Research.
