The CBX8 Knockout HeLa Polyclonal Cells are a heterogeneous population of HeLa cells engineered via CRISPR/Cas9 to disrupt the CBX8 gene. This polyclonal knockout pool provides a robust loss-of-function model without the clonal selection artifacts inherent in single-cell-derived lines. By targeting CBX8, a core subunit of Polycomb repressive complex 1 (PRC1), researchers can investigate transcriptional silencing and chromatin compaction in a physiologically mixed cell population.
HeLa cells are an immortalized human cervical adenocarcinoma line positive for human papillomavirus type 18 (HPV18). These epithelial cells express the viral oncoproteins E6 and E7, which degrade p53 and inactivate Rb, respectively, driving uncontrolled proliferation. HeLa remains a cornerstone in cancer biology due to its robust growth and well-characterized genomic landscape, making it a relevant host for studying epigenetic regulators such as CBX8 in the context of viral oncogenesis.
CBX8 is a transcriptional repressor within canonical PRC1. Its chromodomain specifically binds H3K27me3, a repressive mark deposited by PRC2 (EZH2/SUZ12/EED). This interaction recruits PRC1, where CBX8 cooperates with the RING1A/B E3 ligases and cofactors like BMI1 and PHC to catalyze monoubiquitination of histone H2A at K119 (H2AK119ub). The resulting chromatin compaction silences key target genes, notably the HOX gene clusters and CDKN2A (INK4A/ARF). CBX8 thus bridges H3K27me3 recognition and stable gene repression, a mechanism pivotal for stem cell maintenance and differentiation.
Disrupting CBX8 in HeLa cells enables dissection of PRC1 function in cervical adenocarcinoma. CBX8 is frequently linked to cancer stem cell maintenance and poor prognosis in breast, prostate, and hepatocellular carcinoma. The HPV18-positive background may reveal intersections between viral transformation and Polycomb-mediated silencing. This knockout model thereby facilitates investigation of CBX8-dependent proliferation, clonogenicity, and epigenetic control in cervical cancer.
Typical applications include western blotting for CBX8 and H2AK119ub, ChIP-qPCR for H3K27me3 and H2AK119ub occupancy, RT-qPCR and RNA-seq for transcriptome profiling, and functional assays such as cell proliferation, clonogenic survival, and flow cytometric cell cycle analysis. These cells also support high-throughput screening of compounds targeting PRC1 or associated epigenetic modifiers. For further information, please contact Ascent Research.
