This product is a polyclonal HEK293T cell population with CRISPR/Cas9-mediated disruption of the CD46 gene. It serves as a loss-of-function model for studying CD46 roles in complement regulation, pathogen entry, and intracellular signaling. The polyclonal format maintains genetic heterogeneity while ablating target gene expression, suitable for representative cellular background studies.
HEK293T is a human embryonic kidney epithelial cell line derived from HEK293 cells transformed with adenovirus 5 DNA. These cells stably express the SV40 large T antigen, enabling high-level episomal replication of plasmids with the SV40 origin of replication. HEK293T cells are widely used for recombinant protein production, lentivirus and retrovirus packaging, and biochemical assays due to their high transfection efficiency and robust protein translation.
CD46 encodes a type I membrane glycoprotein serving as a key complement regulator. As a cofactor for serine protease factor I, CD46 binds C3b and C4b on host surfaces, facilitating their cleavage and protecting cells from complement lysis. CD46 also acts as a cellular receptor for measles virus hemagglutinin and adenovirus fiber protein. Ligand engagement activates Src family kinases, downstream Vav-Rac signaling, and modulates IL-10 secretion and T-cell differentiation. The protein interacts with C3b, C4b, factor I, viral proteins, moesin, and Src kinases, linking recognition to cytoskeletal changes and immune responses.
In its native HEK293T background, endogenous CD46 contributes to complement resistance and may influence viral transduction. Disruption of CD46 in these cells provides a controlled system to dissect complement regulatory mechanisms and evaluate pathogen receptor exploitation. This knockout model is particularly valuable for investigating the interplay between complement and viral entry, as HEK293T cells are widely used in virology and gene therapy vector development. Moreover, the absence of CD46 enables the examination of alternative complement regulators CD55 and CD59 and Src-Rac1 signaling crosstalk.
Researchers can apply this polyclonal knockout pool in complement lysis assays, flow cytometric evaluation of CD46 expression, and viral entry studies using measles virus or adenovirus. Downstream signaling can be interrogated by Src kinase activation assays, co-immunoprecipitation of factor I, and western blotting for complement effectors. Cytokine profiling and T-cell differentiation analyses pair with RT-qPCR and immunofluorescence. This product also aids in measles vaccine research and CD46-targeted gene therapy. For further details, contact Ascent Research.
